Megaman Legends: Eternities part 1
by SpaceCaptanFace
Summary: Legends 3. SpaceCaptanFace style!
1. Chapter 1

1

_1. Stranded_

The days seemed to grow longer every dawn. The sun would rise. A brilliant fire would burn away the pale shrouds of dark night, and the horizon would explode with a million gleaming colors that sparkled like a nameless jewel. The meadow that encircled the Master's Spire gave host to a myriad of green blades that danced with the rushing wind. I closed my eyes as she blew past me, feeling the gentle caress against my skin, tousling my hair with her fingertips, beckoning me to play.

I was nearly positive that I was going insane. I had seen these flawless days for so long… so long that I was beginning to hope, to pray for a day with a little more variety. Maybe some rain, or a little snow perhaps?

I shook my head in hopelessness. _What useless thinking_ I thought to myself. It would never change. The sun would always shine bright, the sky would always sparkle its dazzling radiance, and the days would grow even longer.

"Thinking again" came the soft, warm voice of Yuna walking up from behind.

Yuna didn't seem to mind the isolation here as I did, something that I didn't mind at first, but now was beginning to irritate me.

"We've been here for one hundred and eighty three days," I said, not turning to meet her eyes. "There really isn't much left to think about."

Had it only been six months? It seemed like so much longer than that. Of course, it helped in that I never slept. There really was no reason to; I never felt tired. Ever since I had arrived I hadn't felt the need to sleep, eat, or drink… at all. I would have thought that after four months of this I would eventually lose my mind, but apparently, losing ones' sanity would go against Elysium's affliction discrimination clause. Unfortunately, this did not cover excruciating boredom.

"Where is Sera?" I asked, trying to act unaffected by her cheerful attitude.

"She's inside," Yuna answered just as warmly as before. "She's still trying to figure out what we're going to do if we get back."

Yuna saw my involuntary shift of discomfort immediately after she said this. It was hard to hide even the slightest reactions from her.

"I mean… _when_ we get back." She reprised.

I turned my head to look at her, trying to fake a reassuring smile, but the gesture was useless against her eyes. She could see clearly how I truly felt.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to be back where I belong, with the people I cared about. Technically, Elysium _was_ my home… once. That was a long time ago. My new home was on the Flutter, with Gramps, and Data…and Roll. I winced in silent pain at the thought of her name. The passage in her diary continued to burn itself inside my mind.

_I hope he realizes how much I love him._

What did she mean by this? Was it the love of a sister that after years I had always accepted? Or… could it be possible… that it meant something more? My eyes turned back to the sky as my beleaguered mind plagued itself with reckless hope.

"She will find a way," Yuna said reassuringly.

"I know" She always did.

"So then tell me," she continued, "if you're not thinking, then what are you doing?"

I gave a deep sigh, then looked back at her with utmost sincerity in my eyes.

"Waiting for her to find a way" I said, and turned my head once again to have my eyes be carried away by this eternal world.

_2.Worlds apart_

My eyes were hardly watching my hands as I worked. A malfunctioning fuel injector was just what I needed right now, a distraction, anything to take my mind off of the horrible emptiness I felt inside of me. I scanned the main piston and noticed a loose bolt.

"Could you hand me a wrench Mega…" I stopped myself before I could finish his name.

It had been six months since the day he had left and still I was unable to comprehend the fact that he wasn't here. He wasn't standing next to me, warming the room with his sweet smile, always offering to help me whenever I needed him, always there for me. But now…now he was gone, now when I needed him most, to tell me that he would always be here, that he would never leave me. But… he _did_. He left me…left me alone in the dark pit of my despair. Not because he wished too, but because he had too, to save me, to save us all.

The little, yellow faced servebot standing at my side looked up at me quizzically. He then walked over to the tool chest and returned with a wrench in his hand holding it out to me.

"Thanks" I said emotionlessly, retrieving the wrench from his small hand. I could feel tears growing in my eyes. They were getting heavier each day. The servebot gave me a full-bodied nod and went back to sorting the machinery on the floor.

"Roll, is that fuel injector finished yet?" I heard Tron's perpetually impatient voice fill the Flutter's intercom.

" I just need a little extra time to make a few more adjustments. It'll be ready soon." I said, trying to stay calm, something that Tron was determined to make as difficult as possible.

"Well, hurry it up. Everything else is prepped and ready. All we need is that injector."

"I don't want to rush this Tron" I replied wearily. Why did she always have to complicate things? "You have to understand that we can't afford to make any mistakes this time."

"Well, I hope Megaman's as patient as you are. Tron out."

I felt a gash of pain cleave through me at the sound of his name. Her words sliced into me like a searing hot blade.

"Why do you do this to me Tron?" I whispered as the heartbreaking loneliness tore my body in half. "Why do you torment me like this?"

It took every fiber of my being to stop the heavy tears from rolling down my cheek. I didn't want to show weakness in front of anyone, even if it was just a little servebot. I quickly continued my repairs on the injector. I had to make sure I didn't miss anything.

It was true when I told Tron that no mistakes could be made. If something _were_ to go wrong, if we made some type of miscalculation… then…it would be over. There would be no hope left. All of our money was gone. Anything and everything we had left was poured into this final design, our masterpiece, the Eclipse. This magnificent creation, an apex of human engineering, was now our last, and greatest hope yet.

My eyes scanned our last piece of equipment needed for take-off. Everything seemed to be in working order. I walked over to the far wall of my workstation and clicked on the intercom.

"Tron, this is Roll. Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Roll. Are you finished?"

"Yep, The fuel injector is working 100 and is ready for transport to the launch site"

"Glad to hear it. I'll send Bon over right away to pick it up. Have it ready when he gets there."

"You got it. Roll out"

I clicked off the intercom and looked over at the servebot still sorting machinery.

"Do you mind taking this to the loading platform?" I asked him. "I'm going to stay here and clean up."

"Right away Miss Roll" he said, and walked up to the trolley to wheel it out the door.

Hearing the door click shut behind him, I walked over to my chair and sat down. Slouching over, I put my elbows on my knees and my face in my grease-covered hands. Then, alone at last, I relieved my eyes of the heavy tears they burdened.

"All final preparations are made?" Tron asked me eagerly.

"I've checked and rechecked everything three times over" I replied just as enthusiastically. "It's now or never."

"Are you sure you want to do this Roll," Gramps' voice echoed through my headset. "Especially after what happened the last twelve times."

"I have to Gramps." I replied sympathetically. "It's the only way."

Tron and I had discussed this issue for a long time. It took even longer to convince Gramps and Tiesal of what we had to do. If we wanted to guarantee success… we would have to pilot the ship manually.

Gramps wasn't enthused by this idea, especially after witnessing our previous twelve ships explode, but he knew there was nothing he could do to stop me. I didn't want to do it; I didn't want to leave him here wondering whether his only grandchild, the only family he had left, would ever come back… or simply be incinerated within a few moments after take-off. I could see the pain in his eyes whenever these thoughts would hit him and it hurt me so horribly. This hurt, however, was nothing when compared to the agony of the emptiness that ached within my every molecule. I knew what I had to do. I wasn't going to abandon him. I would do whatever was possible to bring him back…even if it killed me.

"I truly hope you know what your doing." Gramps continued. "I don't want to lose you the same way I lost your mother. And if we lose you… we lose Megaman as well"

That did it. There was no way I could hold back the tears that were now flowing freely from my eyes. I wanted to hide my face. I didn't want Tron to see me like this. I knew that she would use it against me somehow.

Her reaction to my weeping, however, took me by surprise. Instead of cutting into me with her razor sharp words, she simply looked at me with an appearance that made me wonder whether I was staring into a mirror. Her eyes were not wet like my own, but her face held the same expression that mine did. It was filled with the same sadness, the same despair - some inner emotion she had kept secret all this time. She turned her face away from me, apparently fearing me as I feared her.

"Oh…Oh no Roll I didn't mean", Gramps stammered

"I know" I cut him off "it's just that I miss him so much. I don't want to lose him either"

I tried to gain control of myself. I was able to stop the convulsions in my chest resonating from my sobs, but the tears would not cease.

"Don't listen to what I say," Gramps said sincerely. "I don't know for certain what may or may not happen but I suppose that's not important. All that matters is what you decide and what you feel is right."

_What I feel is right, _I thought to myself.

"Thank you Gramps," I whispered. "I think…I think I know what the right thing to do is"

"So then what are you waiting for?" Gramps laughed. "Get going! He's waiting for you."

I smiled. The sweet sound of his laughter made the tears in my eyes fade away, replacing them with a new glimmer of hope. I looked over at Tron who laughed as well. Her laugh, her true laugh, carefree and full of joy; it was beautiful, something I had never heard before.

"You heard the man," Tron said still laughing.

I couldn't help but laugh along with Tron. It felt good to laugh again after such a long time.

"Let's go!" I shouted.

Onboard the Eclipse, Tron punched in the coordinates that Data had given us. Since he originated from this place called Elysium we figured it was only logical that he would be our guide.

"Is everyone strapped in back there?" Tron called out to the back of the ship

"Roger" the team of specially assigned servebots called back.

"How's Data" I shouted back.

"Don't worry." One servebot called out. "He's not going anywhere"

I did feel bad about taping Data to a seat. It was for his own safety really, not to mention as well as our own. The last thing we needed during a high-risk launch was a little monkey bounding every which way. Keeping Data still was like trying to bottle a tornado.

"Hey, um, Roll" Tron said somberly, keeping her eyes away from mine.

I looked over at Tron. Once again her eyes were filled with that same sadness I had seen earlier.

"What is it Tron?"

Tron bit her bottom lip as she searched for the right words. This obviously didn't seem very easy for her, whatever it was.

" I…I just wanted to say that…"

Tron closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you lately."

I looked over at Tron, astounded by what I was hearing. Tron and apologetic were not usually associated with each other.

"Tron… is something wrong"

I saw in her eyes the same sadness that I had seen before. What it meant I had no idea.

"Well…no, um, it's nothing really."

"Tron, come on, you can tell me" I said reassuringly.

She turned her head away from me as if she had not heard me speak. It was clear to me that whatever she was feeling or what it was she wanted to say, I wasn't going to be ready for it when it came.

Nonetheless, I continued to prod.

"Tron I know we've had our disagreements in the past"

I smirked. "Well, maybe 'disagreements' is a bit of an understatement"

Tron gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so." She said, smiling at me.

I smiled back.

"But," I continued, "We are working towards the same goal right? I just want us to understand each other, even if we don't always agree, so I want you to tell me how you're feeling so that I can understand your situation.

Tron's eyes carefully rose to meet mine. Her grieved expression once again wore heavy on her face.

"Roll," Tron began hesitantly, "h-how long have you known Megaman?"

I was taken by surprise at this sudden shift of our conversation. The question she was now asking me took me off guard. It didn't seem very relevant.

"Um, I guess I've known him my whole life really, since before I can remember." I didn't know where this was going, but I was sure it wasn't going to be good.

"And you know him really well right? I mean, the whole spotter digger thing."

Tron spoke very hesitantly, as if she were waiting for the worst.

"Well, I guess you could say that"

Her features tensed, whether by what I just said or what she was about to say.

"So…how do you feel about him?"

"…W-what?"

Tron closed her eyes and she spoke softly, softer than I had ever heard her speak before.

"Roll, do you love him?"

This, I was not prepared for. My eyes wandered as I searched for an answer to her question.

"Well, of course I do Tron." I said half heartedly, hoping that my casual reply would draw her away from my true feelings.

Tron just stared at me with her penetrating eyes. She knew that I was well aware of what she was really asking.

"Tron," I said in defeat, "the way I feel about Megaman is…complicated."

"Roll I don't appreciate half truths" Tron said provoked, seeing right through me. "I can see it in your eyes, your expressions, every time you hear his name; it's as if a small part of you dies inside.

Had I been that open with my feelings? After trying so hard to keep them hidden, had Tron really been able to see through all my methods to conceal my pain? I should have known that she would figure it out. I felt so stupid that I had even tried. I looked over at Tron and saw that her expressions had become gentler.

"That's the reason why it hurts so much, isn't it?" she said sympathetically, "Not knowing whether he's alright, whether you'll ever see him again."

I could feel the tears begin to pool in my eyes, ready to overflow. I couldn't hide them this time. But then again, what was the point in doing so? Tron already knew, so what did I care? I had not yet relinquished my tears before I saw that Tron had beaten me to it.

"I know," she whimpered as the tears continued to pour from her eyes. "I know because it's the way _I've_ been feeling."

I looked at Tron wide-eyed as the comprehension hit me like a train.

"You…love him?" I said incredulously

She didn't dare look at me. She just stared down at her feet, letting her tears soak her shoes.

"I didn't want anyone to know," she whispered. "Not even myself"

She gave a faint laugh that was quickly drowned out by her grief

"That's why I've been acting the way I have, towards you, so unjustly. I didn't want you to think anything else of how I felt, what I was going through. And that's the reason why I've been so rude lately, because that just seems to be the way I handle these sorts of things."

She then looked up at me with her tear soaked eyes, filled with such compassion and empathy that I could feel my heart breaking for hers.

"And for that I am so sorry." She confessed. "I didn't know how much pain I was causing you, more than you had already been suffering. Not till I saw your face just now outside the ship did I realize."

She sat quietly then waiting for my response. My body was still trying to recover from everything I had just heard. My comprehension must have overloaded and was now trying to recollect on what Tron had said.

_She…loves him?_

My mind shut down. I looked up at Tron who withdrew in her chair waiting for my reaction.

"Tron" I began weakly "I…I don't know what to say."

"This must all be a little confusing, huh?" She replied hesitantly.

She hit home with that one, though "a little" might not have been the most appropriate choice of words.

"I suppose now isn't the right time to discuss this." Tron exclaimed, wiping away the excess moisture from her eyes. "Besides, we have more important matters to attend to, right?"

I nodded. This definitely was not the time for fretfulness, not now, not when the pressure was already so high. I shook off all the troubling emotions Tron had provided me and prepped for the launch. We could deal with this later.

"Activate fuel cells," I announced

"Charging…" Tron replied. "Fuel cells at 100"

"Engage rotation chambers"

"Engaging"

A deep hum reverberated through the entirety of the Eclipse as the fifteen refractor-powered engine came to life.

"Rotational chambers at optimum velocity! Beginning power transfer!" Tron shouted.

"Retracting landing gear!" I shouted. "Hold on!"

The ship rocked violently as the anti-gravity boosters kicked in, holding the ship aloft.

"C'mon, fly." I murmured to myself.

"She's holding her own!" Tron yelped. "Powering main engines!"

Tron looked over at me intensely.

"This is where it gets interesting" she said half smiling.

"Fire main engines!" I cried

A deafening blast exploded from the engines, launching the ship forward. I felt my body plaster itself to my seat as the G force smacked me backward. My body was burning with invigoration. The ship held together, we broke the pull of gravity, and as the atmospheric shrouds began to fade The Eclipse was consumed by darkness, illuminated only by the small specks of light from the stars that now surrounded us.

"Yes!" Tron yelped, laughing with joy. "We did it! We finally did it!"

She was right. It was finally happening. At last, we were on our way to Elysium.

"Here we come Megaman!" I shouted as the Eclipse soared through the stars

3. Reunited

The tip of the Eclipse began to flare as she pierced her way through Elysium's atmosphere. I felt beads of sweat drip down my forehead as the temperature in the cabin rose.

"We're coming in too fast!" Tron shouted.

"Open the drag fins and activate all reverse thrusters!" I shouted back while I fought the controls to steady the ship. Tron punched in the activation key and the thrusters exploded with a fiery roar, slamming me into my restraints at the sudden deceleration.

"It's working! We're slowing down!" said Tron as she scanned the instrument panel. "Indicators show velocity at 280 mph."

She paused for a brief moment to calculate.

"At this rate we should have a final approach speed of at least 200 mph, still too fast!"

My mind raced as fast as the Eclipse. This was a problem. At that speed we would _probably _be able to survive depending on the angle of landing. But severe damage to the Eclipse would be unavoidable. My grip tightened as I felt the air in my lungs cut short. Right now, all of our hopes rested on how well I would be able to land this thing.

The strangely illuminated clouds of Elysium's atmosphere were beginning to fade as the Eclipse continued its streaking course downward. At last, with the fires around the ship dissipated, I was able to make out what looked like small pieces of land scattered across the surface.

"Over there!" Tron screamed. "Do you see it?!"

Tron was pointing here finger toward a portion of land that was significantly larger than the others. There was a large structure that rose from the center.

"The building in the middle of that one island, that's the one Data said we needed to look for! That's where we'll find Megaman!"

"I see it!" I shouted at her, "plotting new course!"

The Eclipse lurched to the left as I steered her toward the area Tron had pointed out to me. My heart pounded like a hammer on steel as we began the final approach. This was it. All we had with us now was luck.

"Five seconds to impact!" Tron cried out.

My hands continued fighting the controls, desperately trying to make the Eclipse parallel to the ground.

"Four!" Tron counted down.

This was going to have to be perfect. There really wasn't that much landing space on this strange plateau to work with. If I didn't want to fly off the other side, I would have to hit the edge right on the mark.

"Three!"

The ground raced toward us faster and faster. At this speed I was beginning to doubt the chances we would actually survive.

"Two!"

I thought about Megaman and hoped that he would forgive me if we didn't.

"ONE!"

Everything happened at once very fast, so fast that I didn't even realize what had happened. All I could remember is that everything suddenly stopped.

"Roll! Roll!" I heard someone cry out to me.

_This voice_, I thought to myself, _it sounds so_… _familiar_. I had heard it somewhere before, a long time ago.

"Roll, please, please wake up!"

It was beautiful, this voice that sang to me. I tried to search for the source of this melodic sound but all around me, all I could only see was darkness.

"I don't know what happened!" another voice, laced with sheer panic, cried sobbingly. "The impact…it must have snapped her restraining belt!"

This voice I knew all to well. It belonged to none other than Tron Bonne. But why was she crying.

"Roll, open your eyes, I'm begging you!" The voice sang to me once again.

"Her pulse is getting weaker" yet another voice, more composed than the others, spoke solemnly. "If we don't stop the bleeding soon she isn't going to last much longer"

"Twenty-Three where ARE you!" Tron screamed. "We need that med-kit NOW!"

_What's going on? Where am I? _I thought to myself. I felt so completely disoriented. I couldn't even remember how to open my eyes. From what I could hear, someone was severely hurt, but it was too dark to see who it was.

"What took you so long?!" Tron yelled.

"I'm sorry Ms Tron," whimpered a servebot. "The storage bay is a complete mess."

"Never-mind that." Tron cried impatiently. "Just give it to her, hurry!"

_Wait a minute? _I thought, suddenly putting the pieces together. _Is it…me? Am I the one they're talking about? _I searched my frazzled mind to remember what had happened. Tron mentioned a restraining belt snapping…that must have been mine. It was all coming back to me… unfortunately.

"You can help her right? She's going to be okay isn't she?" The familiar voice spoke with desperation.

"I know that I can treat her injuries." The calm voice replied. "But I don't know what the outcome will be. All we can do now is hope for the best."

I could feel the disorientation begin to fade as consciousness slowly crept back into me. My eyelids slid open partially and were glared by bright lights that shined above me. I opened my eyes a bit more to see that I was inside of a white room with two people at my side. My eyes were still slightly blurry and because of the white lights, I couldn't make out the faces that were looking down at me.

"Looks like she's finally coming to" I heard Tron say, overcome with relieve.

"I knew she would," The mysterious voice whispered

I could see the outline of him, the source of that voice that was calling out to me earlier. My vision sharpened and my eyes adjusted to the light allowing me to at last look upon his face.

My eyes did not deceive me. It was him. By all things I had dreamed of, had prayed for in the night, I was actually looking at him. His eyes were gleaming like emeralds as he looked down at me with a smile that would put the glory of the sun to shame. My mouth quivered as I looked at him, overtaken by his presence at my side. I reached up to touch him; to make sure that this wasn't some illusion my mind had created to appease me in my final moments. My eyes filled with tears as my fingers brushed across his face. It truly was him.

"I've… found you," I whispered, whimpering like a child.

"I've finally found you"

"That's right" Megaman whispered. "I'm right here. You found me Roll"

He was almost crying. I blushed to see how incredibly overjoyed he was to see me alive. It was as if we had traveled back in time to that moment on the Sulpher Bottom when our places were switched, when he was the one waking from death and I the one holding back tears of joy.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, brushing away the strands of hair that covered my face.

"I feel…fine," I said, feeling a bit confused at my comfort after such an ordeal.

"You have Elysium's pain suppression fields to thank for that." Someone out of my line of vision suddenly cut in.

I recognized this voice. It was the same voice I had heard earlier that spoke with such composure amidst the panic and confusion. I turned my head to see the woman who had called herself Yuna, the same woman I had once thought was my mother, standing against the wall with one leg crossed over the other and her arms folded across her chest. Her face was grave as she looked over at me.

"You're body, however, is "not" fine."

"What are you saying?" Megaman said, panic growing in his voice.

Yuna closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh.

"Roll's body has suffered extreme internal damage. So extreme in fact, that if it weren't for the pain suppressers, she would have already died from shock."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was it really that serious? I looked up at Megaman with a frightened expression, terrified that after only being with him for so brief a time, I might be stripped away from him once again.

"But…but how can it be that bad?" Tron stammered.

"I mean, I was just fine after the crash. It couldn't possibly have been that bad for Roll, even if her belt did snap."

Yuna looked over at Tron and shook her head.

"Whoever said that "you" were just fine?"

Tron looked over at Yuna horrorstruck. As with me, it was apparent that Tron had suffered some injuries as well, she simply couldn't feel them.

"Within you, Tron, I'm detecting several fractured ribs, as well as a collapsed lung."

Tron placed a shaky hand over her chest. Her face turned pale

"Didn't you wonder why you were so short of breathe?" Yuna asked Tron.

"Well what are we going to do!?" Megaman suddenly shouted.

"Well, how about calm down for starters."

"Calm down! How can you tell me to calm down!?"

"Megaman, Roll and Tron are going to be fine."

I found that hard to believe. From what I had heard Yuna say, I was only moments from death. What did she mean I'd be fine?"

"How do you know that?" Megaman reprimanded Yuna.

Yuna looked back at me. She still seemed worried; despite the words of encouragement she had given Megaman.

"Roll has a certain…body type, that can be easily repaired when given to the right hands."

Yuna turned her gaze back to Megaman and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll have her back in one piece in no time at all."

Megaman closed his eyes and sighed.

"Well that's a relief"

He opened his eyes suddenly and looked over at Tron

"But what about Tron?" he asked, once again sounding concerned.

"Well, Tron should be grateful that her injuries aren't nearly as serious as Rolls'" Yuna said, looking at Tron who was still shaking.

"Sera, you wouldn't mind escorting Tron to the medical facility would you?" said Yuna, looking across the room.

I turned my head to see the same young girl Megaman had found trapped in the drop ship on Forbidden Island was standing on the opposite side of the room from Yuna. I didn't expect to see her standing there.

"I don't see why not," Sera said indifferently.

"Oh and Megaman" Yuna said turning her head to meet his eyes.

"Why don't you go with Sera as well? There are certain things that need to be taken care of."

Yuna nodded at Sera who in turn repeated the gesture. From what I could see, it looked like there was something they knew but were not telling. Megaman glanced over at me and seemed hesitant to leave.

I looked into Megaman's eyes with desperation. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave me.

"Don't worry about Roll Megaman, she's in good hands." Yuna told Megaman warmly.

"Besides, it will be easier for me to do this without any distractions"

Megaman stiffened for a brief moment and then sighed in defeat.

"Please take care of her" He said softly, and then followed along with Sera and Tron to the door at the end of the room. My eyes followed his as he walked away, taking apart of me with him. Sera turned her head to look at Yuna who walked to my side.

"Megaman" Sera said without looking away from Yuna, "take Tron to the East gate. I'll meet you both there"

"Understood" Megaman said, leading a still shaking Tron out the door, finally tearing his eyes away from mine.

Sera walked up to Yuna and then looked down at me.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Yuna?" Sera asked looking at me with an empty expression."

Yuna sighed, placing her hands on her hips and looking up at the ceiling.

"I hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this," she said, staring into the nothingness.

Yuna looked down at me, her mouth stretched into an apprehensive glance.

"But it looks as if we don't have any other choice do we?"

Sera closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said, turning to walk out of the room

"Yeah," said Yuna, "so do I"

Now that we were alone, Yuna looked down at me and placed her hand right above my forehead. She closed her eyes

"Roll…tell me that I have no other choice," Yuna said heavy-heartedly.

Before I could respond, Yuna's hand flicked out, sending a shockwave through my body and causing everything around me to go black.

4. Blade of Elysium

"Where are we going?" I asked Sera as the elevator continued it's decent into the depths of Elysium.

"The Vault" She said without looking at me. "It's near Elysium's core, highest level of security."

I was feeling uneasy about all of this. I shuffled tighter into the corner of the elevator we occupied and let my thoughts wander back to Roll. The look she gave me before I left… it tormented me. I could see it in her eyes, her desperation for me. It seemed that as I left the room, I was also taking away her oxygen.

"She'll be fine Trigger" Sera said, finally looking at me directly.

I looked away from her. It was as if she could read my thoughts whenever my eyes met hers.

"Besides," she continued, "You have other things to be worrying about."

"Like what?" I said skeptically.

I could think of nothing else that could be as distressing as what was happening right now. It wasn't enough what Roll was going through, but Tron too? I remember her looking at me with the same desperation as Roll when we left her to the care of the medical drones. I had never seen her so terrified before. It hurt me to leave her like that, but Sera was insistent that both she and Data escort me to this place called the Vault.

I felt the lift suddenly decelerate, nearly knocking me down as it came to a dead stop.

"We've arrived" Sera said, tapping the controls to the service panel next to her.

The doors to the elevator slid open, revealing an enormous dome shaped room. It was shrouded in darkness, lit barley by the small, sparkling lights that covered the entirety of its surface. I followed Sera as she walked gracefully into the vastly enclosed area, letting my eyes wander the imposing room in fascination as I tried to see what it was this place sheltered.

"So…" I said, still letting my eyes wander the room, "this is the vault"

"Yes," Sera said, "This is where the most advanced of Elysium's technology is kept safe."

Sera almost disappeared into the darkness of the room as she walked ahead of me. I quickened my pace to keep up. The pitter-patter of Data's footsteps followed close behind me as we all walked farther into the nothingness.

"I was put in charge of maintaining and securing the contents of this room. They can only be accessed by me."

"So then why are we here?" I asked, turning my head to look at Sera.

"We're here to give you back something that is rightfully yours." She said suddenly stopping dead in her tracks.

I nearly ran into her at the abrupt halt. I looked at her closely to see what was wrong. She was staring at something, something hidden in the darkness. I turned my head to face whatever it was that was drawing her gaze.

"It is an honor to once again look upon it." Sera said, nearly letting a smile betray her indifferent expression.

"The embodiment of hope, of sacrifice, and of our sheer determination to rise triumphant from the darkest of circumstances."

Sera turned her head to look at me, letting the smile she cleverly hid, manifest itself across her face.

"Behold, Trigger, your greatest weapon; The Blade of Elysium."

A shaft of blinding light suddenly shot down inside the middle of the room, instinctively causing my hand to rise and block the light from my sight. As my eyes began to adjust to this gloriously bright ray, my hand lowered, allowing me to gaze upon it. Floating in place within the pillar of light was a suit of body armor with the most intricate detail I had ever seen. Strange markings engraved the light blue surface of the breastplate, wrapping elegantly around the arms and legs, all meeting at different ends of a gleaming red orb that was embedded in the chest.

"The Blade of Elysium" I repeated softly, entranced by the armor's beauty.

"The strongest weapon in Elysium's arsenal." Sera said, letting the gleam catch her eye.

"That is, of course, when it is worn by the right person."

I looked at her with utmost excitement painted on my face.

"Can I try it on?" I asked, nearly jumping out the armor I was already wearing.

"It's your suit." She said, sounding amused by my enthusiasm. "You can do with it what you wish."

My hand eagerly rose to detach the lock on my armor's chest, not before Sera's hand rose to stop it.

"That won't be necessary," She said, lowering my hand.

"All you need to do is touch it."

I was confused at first, but decided to trust in her word. My eyes looked back at the spectacle and my feet slowly began to move toward it. I raised my hand as I drew closer to the armor, almost feeling hesitant as to what was about to happen. My fingers barely brushed the surface of the suit, shocking me when it suddenly disintegrated on contact. Everything happened so fast after that. The armor I was wearing seemed to evaporate as the suit reconstructed itself on my body. My chest, my arms, my feet…all of it was, in an instant, surrounded by the shining blue metal that now encompassed me.

"Don't forget the final piece," Sera said pointing her finger above me.

I looked up to see a battle helmet, just as meticulously designed as the suit, slowly descending above my head. I locked my hands around it and held it in front of me to examine its features. It appeared to be designed to cover the entire head of its wearer as evidence from its metal faceplate and triangular visor. I looked at Sera who nodded in approval, and slowly I lifted the helmet to put it on. Slipping it on, I heard several mechanical clicks as the helmet locked itself into place. The visor screen flicked on and a bright flash within the helmet blinded my eyes. As the white glare faded, I saw that I could no longer see any interior of the helmet. What I _was_ looking at, however, shook me to the very core. I could see…everything…everything around me. I could see behind me, in front of me, above me…all…at the same time.

"It would seem that the helmet's sensory amplifiers have interfaced with your neural components." Sera said, tapping her lip.

"How do you feel?"

"How do I feel?" Could I even describe it?

"It's…unreal," I said almost shakily. "I can feel… power…strength. Almost an unlimited amount of energy."

"Hmm, I thought so." Sera said, almost laughing.

"Of course, we're not yet finished." She said at once

"Before you can fully activate this suit, we're going to need Data to restore the rest of your purifier programming functions."

"What will that do?"

"Well, once your programming is completely reactivated, you will be restored to your fully active purifier capabilities."

I looked at her with a look of confusion, not fully comprehending her words.

"Which means?" I asked her

"Which means," she repeated, "you will once again become more powerful than you ever thought possible."

I still gave her the same puzzling look. There was still something I did not understand.

"Sera," I said timidly, "why are you doing this?"

She didn't answer. She simply looked over at Data who sat at the ready. She nodded and Data jumped up on my back. What happened next seared itself into my memory forever.

It felt like my mind was on fire, burning with images and data that streamed into me at a thousand thoughts per second. It was so much, too much, more than I could handle.

"Normally, this would be done when your body is unconscious, but we're short of time." I heard Sera say, amidst the blazing inferno that raged inside my head.

"As you can see, the information Data is feeding you must work through several mental barriers that are active when the body is alert, a process that isn't entirely pleasant."

"W-What." I tried to say.

It was difficult to speak. It was difficult to even move. If I could, I would have grabbed Data and thrown him from my shoulders.

"I'm sorry Megaman" I heard Data say

"Don't worry, it's almost over."

The sooner the better, I wouldn't be able to take much more of this. My head felt like a balloon that was about to pop.

"…Finished!" Data shouted, immediately jumping off my back.

I fell to my knees as the fire in my head slowly withdrew. My entire body was shaking.

"Stand up Trigger." Sera said at once. "Open your eyes."

Were my eyes closed? I was so disoriented I hadn't even realized. I stood up shakily with my eyes still sealed shut. I could feel something…something strange, flowing through me. It was a fire, different from before, that burned inside my core, burned with power.

"It is done." Sera said solemnly. "You have been restored to your full rank, Megaman Trigger! First-Class Purifier!

My eyes opened to a world I had never seen before, a world where I could see everything. I could see the room in which I stood in its entirety, despite the fact that no other lights had been turned on. Information fed into my mind almost instantly from every direction. I could calculate the scale and volume of the room, measure the percentage of oxygen in the air; I could even feel the vibrations of sound waves coming from Data's feet before they had a chance to enter my ears.

"What's…happening to me?" I nearly whispered.

"Your purifier functions are re-establishing connection to your nervous system. What you're experiencing right now is Extreme Alert. It's a purifier function that will engage every time you enter combat. It will eventually pass, once you reach full connectional output.

"It's so different." I said slowly. "Indescribable"

"You'll get used to it." Sera said, turning around and walking toward the entrance of the room.

"But for now, we must continue on. We're not finished yet."

I stared at her incomprehensibly.

"There's still more?"

"Yes, and we should hurry. Like I said before, time is short. Quickly, follow me."

"To where?"

Sera turned around and looked at me with a full-on smile.

"To the combat training facility."

**5. Trigger**

It was still burning; this new feeling that filled me with power. I felt so different from the individual I had once been. The individual who would rather discuss things peacefully than to take the fight head on, who would prefer to shy away from conflict were it possible, and who would show empathy to his enemies rather than finishing them off at a moment of weakness.

I didn't want to believe that my true self had replaced all of these feelings of emotion and character, but could I deny who I truly was?

I tucked farther into my corner of the lift, attempting to hide myself in its shadow. I supposed that I could at least try.

" Is something the matter Trigger?" Sera asked, looking into my eyes.

I wanted to tell her that it was nothing and simply shake the feeling off. However, I knew that it wouldn't do me any good, not against Sera anyway.

I looked at Sera with heavy eyes and drew a deep sigh.

"It's…like my two existences, the separate lives I've lived, have suddenly collided together with such… aggression. I don't know how to deal with them. It feels so incredibly complicated.

Sera looked at me head to toe, acknowledging my conflict with a curt nod.

"Give it time Trigger. I'm sure you'll find a proper median to these feelings sooner or later."

I hoped that she was right. I knew that I wouldn't be able to live like this forever, like two magnets of similar poles being forced together.

"How much farther?" I asked subtly, trying to change the subject.

" We just passed level 13. The training facility is on level 4 so it shouldn't take more than a minute."

Everyone was quiet from that point. I looked over at Data who occupied the opposite corner of the elevator. There was something wrong about him. He was just standing there, motionless - so much different from his usual eccentric behavior.

I didn't say anything to him. I suppose it didn't make sense to. What could I tell him anyway, that everything was going to be just fine? I knew that would be lie. In utter truth, nothing about the current situation was "just fine." From the looks of things, that fact wasn't going to change anytime soon.

The lift slowed to a stop and Sera once again punched in the codes to open the door, revealing an enormous rectangular room even larger than the Vault. Unlike the Vault, this room was completely illuminated by bright lights that reflected off its bright metallic surface, all built into the ceiling. However, it didn't share any of the Vaults elaborate eye-catching features. Rather, it was just a big, empty, rectangular room, nothing extraordinary.

The only thing that really stood out was a large glass window located at the opposite side, looking down on the room. Behind the window was a smaller room that, from what I could see, was filled with machinery that looked like control terminals and viewing screens. I figured that that room must be the observing deck.

Sera looked over at me and smiled. She seemed to be getting used to that gesture.

"Well Trigger?" She said with a hint of enthusiasm in her voice. "Shall we begin?"

I nodded and the three of us walked into the room.

"So this is the combat training facility?" I said sounding a little unimpressed.

"You sound disappointed." Sera said, turning her head to look at me.

"Were you expecting more?"

I smiled

"Well," I said, letting a light laugh escape me, "what exactly is it I'm supposed to combat?"

Sera smiled at me mischievously, apparently knowing something that I didn't.

"Oh you'll see soon enough." She said, revealing her hidden smile even more. "But first, we'll need to upload your old weapons."

I looked at Sera, puzzled by her choice of words

"Did you say…upload?" I asked confused

"That's exactly what I said." She replied back indignantly.

"Strange," I thought to myself. I'd never heard of weapons being uploaded before. Equipped, or installed maybe, but…uploaded?  
Sera slowed her pace as we approached the center of the room, stopping when a holographic viewing screen suddenly materialized in front of her.

"What the… What is that?" I said, staring at the suspended symbols and grids all floating around on a purplish axis.

Sera ignored me and began tapping on the symbols. I could understand what the images stood for, considering my built in knowledge of the language, but I couldn't keep up with the movements of her blurring fast fingers. I would have easily been able to, had I still been in that Extreme Alert function.

"What are you doing?" I asked her as she entered in the last few codes.

"I'm bringing up your weapon index." She said lowering her hand.  
The view screen faded and a small column began to rise from the floor. It stopped a little above Sera's waist and the top of it began to glow with a strange symbol I couldn't understand.

"Place your hand on the scanner Trigger." Sera formally asked me.  
Rather than asking what would happen – which I probably should have considering what had happened last time with Data, I decided I would trust again in Sera and simply do what she asked.

I placed my hand on the glowing surface and waited for the worst. I was relieved when I found that the process was not in the least bit painful. Rather, I was astonished at what happened next. Thousands of tiny algorithmic symbols started crawling up my arm and around my body. Before long I was completely surrounded by the countless bits of information that streamed to and fro across my suit.

"Weapons index uploading…" I heard a voice in my head say. "Connecting to Neural Interface…beginning weapons download…"

My head recoiled in exploding pain as my brain was once again consumed by fire. It wasn't nearly as painful as before, for which I was extremely grateful. Nonetheless, It was still excruciating. Flashing images and encoded transcripts swiftly began flittering sporadically through my mind. Weapon specs, damage ratios, activation codes…all of this and more instantaneously forged into my head as I clutched it in unbearable pain.

I remembered everything I saw immediately and perfectly, every single detail to the exact, as if I had already known it for years. It was incredible…and agonizing. The flashing images finally stopped and I heard the voice speak again.

"Download complete…returning to user interface"

I felt my mind numb to its original coolness and I breathed a sigh of relief. I then turned to look at Sera, frustration deeply engraved on my face.

Though she couldn't see it behind my helmet, it was easily readable from her expression that she was aware of my provocation.

"That's the last time, I swear." She said holding her hands up.

I looked down at the ground and shook my head, just relieved that it was over.

"But…" she said, suddenly chuckling.

"I suppose now you understand why I said, "upload"."

"Funny" I said impassively

Sera's sarcasm seemed to be improving. It appeared she was becoming more and more comfortable expressing emotion since her neural inhibiters had been deactivated. At least, when she was around me. I couldn't help but smile at her; despite the suffering she had just put me through.

"But there's still something I don't understand"

"Ah," Sera said, raising her chin, "you're wondering how to use those weapons you just downloaded aren't you?"

"Basically."

Sera folded her arms across her chest and began her explanation.  
"Well you see, those weapons you just downloaded; they aren't exactly, per say, weapons, more like programming files that were uploaded into your suit. That's the reason why I used the term upload. The true weapon, in fact, is your armor…and your body."  
"My…body?" I said dumbfounded.  
Sera smiled once again  
"I suppose it would be better if I simply showed you."

Sera looked down at Data. I'd forgotten was even standing in the room.

"Data, why don't you head to the observing deck right now, just to be safe? Sera said to him smiling.

"Okay!" Data said with a jump in his step. "Good luck Megaman!"

It was nice to see Data in his usual eccentric demeanor; however, something about it didn't seem convincing, almost as if he was trying too hard to be in an excited mood. I watched him bound with unusual speed to the other side of the room. When he reached the end of the vicinity a small portion of the wall slid open, allowing Data to walk through. The doorway closed and a few moments later I saw him looking at me through the glass window of the observing deck.

"What was that for?" I asked Sera

"Like I said - just to be safe."

I decided not to prod and simply let Sera continue on with wherever she was going with this. I simply hoped it wouldn't turn out like the last two instances.

"Alright then Trigger, it's time to show you the full extent of the powers of your suit!" She said enthusiastically.

That got me going. I could feel the fire in my veins glow hot with exhilaration, a reaction I wasn't pleased with. The blaze of my past was slowly becoming harder to resist. If I continued to let it burn freely like this…

Oh who cared! I would let it go this time. For now, I was going to let it burn for all it was worth!

"Okay, first off," Sera began, almost seeming as excited as me. "You know all the weapons you downloaded right?

I opened the weapon files in my head. It was strange at first. I felt like a computer, which I… guess I sort of was. Maybe not exactly, but I suppose that didn't matter at the moment. I looked over all the weapons in my arsenal in an instant. All of them looked powerful, but in truth, I had no idea what any of them did. One particular device that caught my attention was a weapon entitled "Piercing Beam". What interested me about it was how it looked almost exactly like the Shining Laser attachment Roll had made for me from the technology I had recovered from Elysium's docking station.

"Well…" Sera said, waiting for an answer. "Your familiar with them right?"

"Besides the fact that I don't know how to use any of them, yes"

Sera smiled

"Don't you worry, we'll fix that very shortly." Sera said while turning and strolling to the other side of the room.

"Stay right here would you?"

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked her apprehensively. For some reason I didn't want her to leave me.

"I'm going to the observation deck." She said smiling. "There's no way I'm going to stick around you when you're re-learning the basics. That could be very dangerous for me.

I watched her as she walked to the end of the room and entered the same door Data had used earlier. Moments later I saw her standing next to Data inside the small room.

"Now let's see if we can get you to activate one of your weapons." Sera said over the intercom.

"This shouldn't take long. I can't imagine it being difficult for you." She said with an air of confidence

"Let's start off with your primary weapon: the Omega Buster"

I liked the sound of that.

"First," she said, "I want you to highlight the weapon in you weapons inde-"

"Done" I said, before she could even finish her sentence.

"Well aren't we cocky." She said with a light laugh.

All of a sudden, something in my head clicked. I remembered. I could remember how it was done. Nothing had ever simply come to me before like this. Without hesitation, almost as if acting on instinct, my right arm shot out in front of me, and I activated the Omega Buster.

**6. Instinct **

What happened nearly caused me to jump back. Starting at the base of the elbow, my arm began to shift and transform before my very eyes. It took less than a second before my entire forearm had reconstructed itself into a terrifying-looking weapon. It was similar in shape and size to my old buster gun, but it carried much more hostile features. The tip of the barrel looked ferocious, almost like a vicious claw. A series of protruding spikes that curved inward encircled an orifice illuminated by an aura of glowing blue light.

Despite the fierce appearance of this weapon, like the armor, it was incredibly elegant. I was almost hypnotized by the way the light caught its unblemished exterior, danced within its shining surface, and reluctantly reflected off in a dazzling array of glittering magnificence. Truly, this was a weapon that graced Elysium's beauty of creation.

"Incredible!" Sera said through the intercom, breaking me from my trance.

"I'm thoroughly impressed Trigger; I never thought you'd be able to activate that weapon all on your own! Excellent work!"

I'd never heard Sera so excited before. It was strange in the very least to hear her like this, but frankly, not entirely unexpected. It seemed that Sera was consistently growing more and more comfortable with her newfound emotions during our isolation here on Elysium with each passing day. It was almost eerie at first, but in all honesty she was starting to grow on me. I had to admit that I preferred the slightly more cheerful Sera to the old sociopathic one, whose personality rivaled that of a cardboard box.

"Now," she continued, "would you like to try it out on something?"

The fires of my past began to rage. I wasn't about to douse them now, not when I might need them for whatever Sera was about to throw at me.

"I would very much like that Sera" I said, trying to contain the excitement in my voice.

"Then it's time to see what you can do."

Right as Sera finished her sentence, I could feel my E.A. functions activate. It wasn't nearly as strong as before, but allowed me to instantly sense a reavorbot materialize out of thin air precisely thirty-two point three-eight seven meters behind me. Instinctively, my body swung around, my eye's aiming coordinates flashing into my vision, locking on target as my gun's magnetic propulsion rails charged to full capacity, and it all took less than 0.386 seconds. The speed at which my body moved was incredible, like everything around me seemed to slow down while I in turn sped up. However, as impressive as this display was, I did not fire my weapon. Instead, I cocked an eyebrow at the foe that stood before me.

Now standing thirty-two point nine-eight meters away from me, walking around aimlessly on its chubby legs, was a green reavorbot grunt, or as it is know in the Elysium dialect, a zakobon.

"You've got to be kidding me." I said aloud.

What was this, a joke? My mouth hung open as I watched the stubby little robot walk around cluelessly in circles, completely oblivious to the world around it.

"What's wrong; why did you stop?" Sera asked me.

"This is what I'm supposed to fight?" I said confused.

I heard Sera give an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh right," Sera said, sounding amused.

"I didn't tell you; I just wanted to get a reading on your suits power levels – make sure there still working at full aptitude."

I sighed profusely. I wish she had told me that before. I had not taken my aim off the zakobon, and I prepared to fire. I thought to myself that if this weapon was anything like my old fully upgraded buster gun, it would take no more than one or two shots to finish off this pest.

I triggered the gun to fire, and faster than I could even blink, the zakobon was instantly blown to pieces. I stared inconceivably at the smoldering scraps of the reavorbot that rained down on the floor in a series of metallic clinks and clanks. I looked down at my gun in sheer amazement.

_Did this…do that?_

"Good," Sera said, "I'm getting a positive read-out. You're suit is still functioning at full power."

No kidding, I thought to myself. My old buster gun, even at optimum level, was nothing when compared to this thing. When I fired it, rather than shooting a rotating orb of quantum particles, like what my previous gun shot out – which honestly moved at a painfully slow speed; this thing discharged an incredibly powerful blue stream of exploding energy that moved at an exploding velocity.

"Don't forget," Sera suddenly added, "You have both arms to work with. You can activate the same weapon on your left arm as well as your right, or any other combination of weapons that would work best in any given combat situation."

"I can?" I thought to myself excitedly. The moment Sera told me of this new information my left arm shot out to the side and transformed into another Omega Buster just as fearsome as the first.

"Well this is just…cool!" I said laughing.

"I'm glad you like it." I heard Sera say enthusiastically.

"But of course, there is a downside."

"A downside?"

"I'm afraid so."

Well that figured.

"You see," she continued, "while your armor is capable of producing huge amounts of perpetual energy, so to do weapons like the Omega Buster discharge it. Normally, this isn't a problem, as your armor's central core can supply enough power to support most of your major weapons, even when they are used simultaneously with both arms; That is, as long as the suit is given the proper amount of time to recharge after each encounter with an enemy force. However, when you repeatedly use these weapons for extended periods of time, say, like in a major battle with several thousand of the enemy…"

"Several thousand!?" I interrupted hastily. "When on earth would I, or could I for that matter be fighting several thousand enemies!?"

"Well you have done it before, single-handedly from what I can remember."

Was she serious? When was this?! What was going on when that was happening!? I was about to ask Sera myself before she suddenly continued speaking

"As I was saying, when facing situations like this you'll want to use one of your close-range weapons. These weapons use significantly less energy and will allow you to conserve your suits power."

I interrupted once again to voice a concern I was having.

"So…what happens then…if I do happen to deplete my suit's energy core?"

It was silent for a moment. Sera then spoke.

"Don't let that happen; that's all you need to know. You see that bar in the right hand corner of your helmet's frontal visor?"

I hadn't even noticed it before. While I couldn't exactly see the helmet, I was able to spot several symbols on a heads-up display located in the corners of my peripheral vision.

"Yes, I see it"  
"That's your suit's energy indicator. It will monitor the supply of power your armor has stored. Make sure to watch it closely."

"I understand."

"Now then, getting back to what I was saying earlier; Should you be running low on power you'll want to switch to one of your close combat weapons."

I heard Sera muffle a small laugh under her breath.

"Surprisingly enough, one such weapon was actually your personal favorite"

Now that got me curious.

"Which one was this?" I asked eagerly

I could see Sera from where I stood in the finest detail thanks to the slight E.A boost I had gotten earlier. She was smiling, happy to see my excitement.

"Well, the Arc Energy Blade is it's official term," She stated nonchalantly, "but I remember you affectionately naming it the Zero Saber."

"Zero Saber huh?" What a strange name.

"Why exactly did I call it that?"

"From what I remember, that name belonged to a fellow purifier that was once under your command. He used a weapon that was similar to the Arc Energy Blade – a handheld, downgraded version that was the predecessor to your more advanced model"

"How is mine more advanced?" I asked curiously

"Well why don't you find out"

I heeded Sera's ambiguous advice and searched my index for the Arc Energy Blade, or "Zero Saber" as I apparently called it. It took only a fraction of a second to find the file. I was wondering what I should expect upon activating it. Was my arm going to transform into some kind of built in laser sword like the zetsabre Roll had designed? I supposed that there was only one way to find out.

I reset my arms to their original state and held my right arm out to the side. I figured there was no sense in rushing into things and transforming both my limbs at once. With slight hesitation I triggered the activation code.

I was surprised at what happened; that seemed to be happening a lot today. Instead of my whole arm transforming, a flat, circular object constructed on the top of my hand. It was a small rotating disk, elaborately decorated with fire-like markings. It was precisely two centimeters thick and seven centimeters wide. As I examined it more closely, I discovered a small socket glowing a slight yellowish hue located on the side of the disk.

All of the sudden, it happened again, the recollection of my former knowledge that would hit me like a train at the strangest, yet most convenient times. It seemed that the influence of my past was growing stronger. As my instincts began to kick in, a smile crept across my lips as I remembered why this was my favorite weapon.

I whipped my hand out in front of me and with a crackling flare of flaming light burst forth the piercing stream of yellow energy. I gazed in awe at the beauty of the radiant shaft of concentrated energy that illuminated the surface of my armor with a soft yellow glow. I could feel such a strange sense of nostalgia by looking at the beam. For reasons I didn't fully understand, this blade…it was very important to me. This was my weapon; this was my legacy handed down. The disk that housed the beam twirled around my hand at my command making the blade dance and spin, bending around me in a string of graceful arcs and weaving motions as I displayed perfect control and balance of this tool of swift extermination.

"You seem to remember this weapon perfectly Trigger" I heard Sera say.

"Your movements while handling such a dangerous device are still awe- inspiringly beautiful."

I retracted the beam and looked up at Sera. Her face was serene, carrying an expression of deep pride and respect. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"You truly are the Master Trigger I once knew."

She opened her eyes, her smile still glowing.

"This should be very interesting"  
All at once, all around me, Sharukurusu Elites materialized from every direction. I lowered my stance in readiness, not for an instant losing my composure. My mouth slowly curved into a grin as the fire in my blood roared to a blazing inferno.

"Bring it," I said, smiling intensely

Within one motion, the whole room charged in toward me in a violent commotion of ferocious bloodlust, my annihilation being the only motivation of movement. As death enclosed, my head lowered in silent thought.

"Who am I?" I whispered like a ghost in the darkness, and then in a blinding strike, I unsheathed my fury on the enemy.

**7. Complications**

I anxiously twirled the strands of hair that scattered down the side of my face. It didn't help much to ease my anxiety, but at least it was keeping me slightly distracted. I fidgeted around, trying to get more comfortable as I sat against the wall with my legs pulled up to my chest. My eyes concentrated on the white patterns engraved in the wall, stretched and tangled as they traversed across its surface. It was simply another distraction.

_Where are they, _I thought to myself?

After waking me from her trance Yuna had left me here alone saying that she needed to recover Tron from the medical facility. It had been a while since she had gone, at least an hour from what it felt like. I tried not to worry, since it wouldn't benefit me in any way, or the others for that matter. Still, it was in my nature to be concerned, one of the universal emotions of the spotter, and it wouldn't be easily thrown off.

I let my head rest back on the wall as I closed my eyes and let my thoughts return to Megaman. I wondered where he was, what he was doing. It was probably foolish thinking, but I hoped that he was all right. It was silly of course, thinking that he could be in any danger in a place as beautiful and serene as this, but nevertheless.

I let out a deep sigh as my eyes opened back up. I glanced down the curves of my body frame. Until recently it had been a shattered mess on the verge of death. It was so strange to think that after all the damage that had been done; my body was now restored to perfection. I remembered it perfectly, the smell of blood, the sickening feeling of my bones twisted, cracked and broken. I shuttered at the memory. I wanted to forget it had ever happened, but every time I tried to repress those thoughts I would see his face; that horrible expression he wore, as if he were looking at me for the first…and for the last time, and it would make my gut wrench.

But now, there wasn't a scratch on me. It was like nothing had ever happened. I could stand, walk, probably run were the act necessary, and I wouldn't feel a thing. One wouldn't be able to tell from looking at me however. My clothes were still ripped and torn – modestly thank goodness, and some areas of my clothing were completely drenched in my blood. I was grateful at least that I was already wearing red so it didn't stand out too much.

I thought about a way I could clean myself up when suddenly the entrance door slid open. I quickly turned my head in anticipation of Megaman's arrival, but was dismayed when it turned out to only be Yuna and Tron. Not that I was disappointed that Tron had returned, not at all. I was relieved to see that she appeared functional.

"Roll, are you alright!" Tron yelped, running to my side and kneeling down next to me.

I smiled. It was strange to see Tron so worried about me, but I was deeply appreciative of her concern.

"I'm fine Tron, better than fine in fact. Are you ok?"

"Yuna said that I should be alright as long as I take it easy for a while." She said smiling. "But…are you really feeling ok? I mean, Yuna said you were going to be fine but I had trouble believing her after seeing you like that. You're sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm positive Tron," I said with a light laugh.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"That's a relief"

Tron's smile faded and she looked over at Yuna

"But…where's Megaman? Has he not gotten back yet?"

"He's probably still with Sera" She answered with a warm smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

I hoped that she was right. I was getting more and more anxious the longer he took, and it wouldn't be long before I went off to look for him myself. It was then that I suddenly realized something wasn't right, that name Yuna had just mentioned…

"Sera…" I spoke out loud. "She was the one Megaman had come here to stop wasn't she?"

"Initially." Yuna said formally with her hands on her hips. "I suppose you're wondering why she's still here."

"Well, a little bit"

Yuna gave me an appraising look and began her explanation

"This may be a bit hard for you two to understand, so I'll try to keep it simple. First of all, you remember why Megaman had to leave don't you."

"I think so," I said, trying to remember the details. "It had to do with something called the Master System right? It was supposed to wipe out all of the carbons, which I guess is what we are. He was going to stop it"

"That's right." Yuna said with a nod. "That was his intention, and he knew he would have no choice but to terminate Sera if he was going to take the system offline. Well, he eventually caught up with her. During the battle that ensued, Megaman was somehow able to deactivate the behavioral inhibitors that restricted Sera's independent thoughts and emotions. When that happened she was finally able to see things from Megaman's perspective. She understood at last what it was the Master truly wanted, what made him happy, something Sera had strived so hard to give him."

Yuna's head lowered and her expression saddened.

"All she ever wanted was for the Master to love her…love her like he loved Megaman."

She looked back up at us and continued.

"But by then it was already too late. Sera's shell had been all but destroyed and her life-support systems were about to fail. Luckily, I arrived just in time with an empty shell, or body as you might call it, that Sera was able to transfer her programming files into."

Yuna smiled once again.

"Long story short, She's good now."

I nodded. That made sense I supposed, in a strange way perhaps. I looked over at Tron. She seemed lost.

"Did you catch all that Tron?" Yuna smiled

"Mostly, I think, but… what about the Master System?"

"Ah yes" Yuna said, bringing her hand to her chin "Well since Sera was the monitor of Elysium's systems, the Master System shut down along with the rest of Elysium when her original shell had been destroyed."

Tron cocked an eyebrow.

"You're saying that Elysium shut down?"

"Yes."

"…Completely?"

"That's correct."

Tron's eyes scanned the room around her in a quizzical, almost sarcastic, gesture.

"You sure about that?"

I then realized what Tron was talking about. Yuna had said Elysium had completely shut down, but from what we could see, there was still working lights, automatically opening doors…was there something we didn't know?

I looked at Yuna, who appeared to be taken off guard by our newfound observation. She hesitated at first but then explained.

"Well…we have several back-up refractors still powering parts of Elysium. They won't last much longer, which is why we should return to Terra as soon as we can.

"Easier said than done," Tron said rolling her eyes. "Thanks to blondie's spectacular landing, we barely even have a ship left. I doubt we'll be able to repair it anytime soon."

Yuna gave Tron a sly smile

"Oh you don't have to worry about that." She said folding her arms across her chest smugly. "I'll take care your little ship problem"

Before Tron could say anything the doors to the entrance slid open once again. The sound of footsteps entering the room made my heart jump. It had to be him this time I just knew it. I shifted my eyes eagerly to the source of the footsteps hoping to be rewarded by that shining smile that could light up even the darkest of situations. My eyes met the new arrivals and all at once my mouth dropped open as I recoiled with a gasp.

I could hardly believe my eyes at what I saw. Following Data and Sera into the room was someone I didn't even recognize. This threateningly intimidating figure was clad in an incredibly elaborate, yet fearsome armor that nearly made me tremble. I couldn't see his face behind the helmet he wore, which only seemed to amplify his already terrifying visage. It was impossible…there was no way this could be who I thought it was…could it?

He looked over at me with an empty gaze that made me shrink back in fear. It was menacing, nothing like anything I had ever seen before. Within an instant after seeing me the faceless being tore off his helmet and threw it to the side, revealing the familiar face I knew and loved so much. My face lit up as our eyes met. Everything about him, everything that had changed, made him look like a ferocious, merciless machine dissolved away as I lost myself in his presence. He ran over to me with a brilliant smile of relief painted across his face. He knelt down, shocking me when all at once he took me in his arms and laughed with joy.

"Roll! You're all right!" he exclaimed happily, holding me tighter in his iron grip.

I blushed intensely. I didn't know what to say. I was so overcome with a feeling of rapture and ecstasy to be held so close to him that I could hardly even breathe. That…or he was holding too tightly. Either way, I wasn't about to stop him. He backed away, keeping his hands firmly gripped on my shoulders as he examined me.

"That's interesting, I didn't know I could do that." He said, looking at me from head to toe

"What do you mean?" I inquired, trying to keep my voice from trembling. The exhilaration of having him right in front of me was more than I could handle

"I can read your vital signs," he said with a slight smile. "Everything looks completely stable, what I'd expect from you; Looks like I have Yuna to thank for that"

He turned to look at Yuna and gave her a smile of appreciation. She simply waved her hand casually.

"It was nothing," she said cheerfully. "But I'm glad I could help."

Yuna looked at Sera who was also smiling at Megaman.

"So it went well I assume?" she spoke to her, breaking her gaze from Megaman.

Sera's attention turned to Yuna.

"More or less" she said with a wicked grin. "Perhaps not for Trigger in some instances, but as you can see, the end product was more than worth the trouble."

They must have been talking about Megaman's new appearance. He certainly looked more dangerous than ever before, especially while wearing his helmet, but at the same time he had never looked so entrancingly beautiful in this gleaming armor. But other than his appearance, I had no idea in what way he had changed, except that he could now somehow tell how healthy my body was.

"Do you think he's ready?" Yuna asked intuitively.

"Oh he's more than ready." Sera smiled mischievously. "He clearly hasn't lost any of his former prowess and skill."

Megaman seemed to ignore the conversation between Sera and Yuna. He stood up and walked over to Tron. I rolled my eyes in contempt as he placed his hand on her shoulder and examined her the same way he did me.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing all right too Tron," he said smiling at her

I nearly curled into a ball of jealousy as she blushed slightly and smiled back at him. As I tried to turn my head away, as this was something I preferred not to look at, I saw that Megaman's smile had faded into an expression of befuddlement.

"What is it Megaman?" Tron asked, worried by this unusual reaction to her.

He looked back at me, his eyes still carrying the same puzzlement, and then back at Tron.

"Yuna…" he said softly removing his hand from Tron's shoulder. "What exactly did you do to Roll?"

That got my attention immediately. Was there something wrong with me? It didn't feel like I had been broken in any way, but Megaman's solemn expression was starting to make me second-guess.

"What do you mean? What's the matter with me Megaman?" I cried out a little too loudly. "Am…am I all right?"

"You're perfectly fine Roll…and that's the problem."

I looked at him strangely, confused by his words.

_Isn't that a good thing?_ I thought to myself. I couldn't understand why he would be distraught by something like this. I mean did he want me to be hurt."

"It's not that I'm unhappy you're unharmed." He said turning to look at me, almost if he were reading my thoughts. "I'm thrilled that you're ok, but there's something that's not fitting right."

"Well what does this all have to do with me?" Tron asked impatiently.

"Well, if Yuna apparently doesn't know what I'm talking about then I guess I'll just have to explain it."

Yuna folded her arms and leaned back against the wall. She looked intrigued, slightly smug in fact, as to what Megaman was about to say, almost as if with a Bring-it-on attitude.

"I didn't notice at first when I was looking at Roll." Megaman began. "I suppose I was simply too overjoyed to see her all right that I completely ignored it. But then I saw Tron's life-signs and realized that something wasn't right. From what I could see, Tron's vitals were slightly weaker than average due to the injuries she sustained. That's completely normal, what anyone could expect from an average person, and thanks to the treatment she received, her wounds will heal at a steady rate."

Megaman turned his gaze toward me with a reserved look about him.

"Then there's Roll." He said mysteriously. "After examining Tron I turned my attention back to Roll to make sure what I was seeing was accurate. It was impossible to even consider, but Roll's vitals were even stronger than normal, as if she had never even been injured in the first place."

Megaman looked back at Yuna. She drew a deep breath and sighed, looking displeased that she was unable to avoid this.

"So, why is this Yuna? How did you do it?"

She bowed her head in silent thought as she assessed Megaman's quandary. What was it she not telling, I thought to myself? There was something she was avoiding, something she wanted to keep hidden from us, and somehow it involved me.

"Megaman…this isn't the time." She said solemnly. "We have much more urgent things to think about right now that need our direct attention."

"You're not getting off that easy Yuna"

"I know, and I promise I'll explain everything, but for the time being we must focus on the much more serious issue at hand. Right now we need to make speed to Terra as soon as possible, before it's too late"

"Why?" Tron asked somberly, "What's going on?"

"Let's just say that Megaman's mission is far from over, and what's coming will be far more than he can handle on his own."

Yuna turned to walk out, leaving Sera to motion for us all to follow

"The time has come for all carbons alike to prove their ultimate worth, show what it means to have the determination and true tenacity to survive."

**8. Return to Terra**

"Miss Tron!" A shrill voiced servebot cried.

Tron walked ahead to greet the little robot who was apparently waiting for us near the entrance of the spire.

"Are you ok? We were all so worried when we last saw you come by here. You looked really scared about something."

As usual, Tron completely misinterpreted the servebots concern as an insult, as evidence of the creases that formed in her forehead.

"Well what's that supposed to mean!? You think I was worried or something!? Of course not, I'm great, better than great even!"

Tron flying off the handle wasn't a rare case in the slightest. I could see that the servebot was used to this.

"Anyway, how goes the repairs? Have you made any progress?"

"Actually…" The servebot squeaked timidly, "everything's already finished… thanks to those nice robots who helped us out earlier."

Tron stared at her little robot servant for several seconds before she was able to grasp what he had just said.

"Uh, did you…did you just say nice… robots?"

Yuna's lips curled into a crafty smile as she gave a suppressed laugh at Tron's bewilderment.

"Oh right," Yuna cut in "I forgot to mention. While you two were away, gallivanting who knows where, I called in several Reavorbot Repair units to work on that little ship of yours. It's ready for take off as soon as everyone's prepared"

Everybody but Sera and I stared at Yuna in amazement. I looked at everyone's stunned faces in confusion. Was there something I was missing?

"You mean they actually managed to repair it!?" Tron said in disbelief. "That's impossible, how on earth did they manage that in such a quick time!?"

My face blushed as I shrank in embarrassment. Just how badly had I destroyed the Eclipse during that landing?

"That's right." Yuna chuckled. "And as an added bonus, I even called two salvage teams to load the cargo hold with some of Elysium's best technology, along with the blue-prints and data files that will give you two more than enough intel on how to build this kind of technology for yourselves."

I could feel my lips were quivering as Yuna lightheartedly explained what she had gone and done. Was this a dream? Would I actually be able to create this kind of technology? I looked over at Tron and saw that she was carrying the same expression of incredulity. Megaman simply smiled as he watched our eyes glow like those of excited children.

"I'm sure you both realize how this will drastically change the world you live in." Yuna said calmly. "The moment we land on Terra the age of digging will come to an end. With some of the machinery I had put on board, carbons will be able to make all the refractors they need at whatever time they wish."

Her face all of the sudden lost its glow. Something was bothering her again. I then remembered what she had said while we were making our way out of the spire.

_"The time has come for all carbons alike to prove their ultimate worth, show what it means to have the determination and true tenacity to survive."_

Apparently something big was about to happen on Terra. I figured that that must have explained Yuna' mysterious behavior. I thought of Gramps still back there waiting for me to return, or wondering whether or not I was still alive. The recollection caused me to feel sick to my stomach. What if whatever Yuna was talking about had already happened, I suddenly thought. What if something happened to Gramps while we were gone?

I shook the thought from my mind. This wasn't the moment to worry. I'd have plenty of time for that later. For now, getting home was our main priority

"The main engine is working at full capacity," Tron said, sounding more awe-struck than informative. "She's ready when you are"

I nodded as I looked back at everyone strapping themselves in. I saw Megaman roll his eyes as he clamped down the restraining harness – as if he would actually need it. The only reason he did I assumed was simply to humor me. Either that, or he knew the scolding I'd give him for not buckling up.

I walked over to the pilot's seat, giving Megaman one last smile as I turned my head away from him. Before I could sit, however, Yuna's hand snapped out and caught my wrist.

"What are you doing?" I asked belligerently trying uselessly to break her grasp.

"Keeping you from making the same mistake as last time"

I huffed and looked away from her in contempt.

"I just made a little miscalculation, that's all" I muttered under my breath.

"And that "little" miscalculation nearly got you all killed. I think it would be better if I piloted this thing from here on out."

Tron looked away from us idly, trying not to be caught in the fray. I could have sworn I heard her chuckle.

"But…but I built this thing"

"Helped build it!" Tron blurted out, making sure not to be unmerited of her contribution.

"Fine, whatever. My point is that I know this ship. I would probably be a better pilot than someone who has no idea on how to even work it."

"Roll," Yuna said reprehensively. "You shouldn't underestimate me, especially when it comes to machinery."

Yuna's grip on my wrist loosened and she withdrew.

" You can go ahead and sit in the pilot's seat, but I'm still going to be piloting this ship."

My brow ruffled in confusion.

"What do you mean? How are you going to do that?"

"I've retro-fitted a support column into the Eclipse's mainframe that I can use to transfer my data files from this body directly to the ship. More or less, I'll actually _become _the Eclipse rather than simply its pilot, and will thus be able to control it at will."  
She smiled as she glided her fingertips across the control panels of the ship.

"So that means you and Tron can just sit back and relax while I take care of everything."

"Wait a minute" Tron interrupted. "What will happen to the body you're in right now once you switch to the Eclipse"?

Yuna's grin widened extensively.

"Why, it'll be returned to Roll's mother of course"  
My face went pale as my breath shortened.

"_My…my mother?"_

This couldn't be real. This had to be some sort of dream I had accidentally slipped into. Everything around me seemed to slow down as my breathing suddenly quickened.

"Is something wrong Roll?" Yuna asked amidst the fluttering clouds that enveloped my mind. "I thought you'd be happy to hear this."

I swallowed hard as I tried to hold back the pools of tears forming in my eyes.

"Roll, what's wrong?" I heard Megaman say. "Yuna, what did you say to her?"

"Nothing's wrong Megaman" I said with choked up words, overfilling with joy.

I looked up at Yuna and smiled as bright as the midday sun as the tears brimmed in my eyes, eventually cascading over as my hope and happiness burst.

"Do you really mean it?" I asked Yuna, barely able to control my words as they stammered broken and cracked. "Can you really give me back my mother?"

"Huh?" Tron broke in. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that you're Roll's mom?! Did I miss something here?!"

We both stared at Tron blankly. It was silent for a brief moment.

"Tron," Yuna said vacantly, "you're… ruining a special moment."

Tron crossed her arms and slouched back into her chair.

"Well excuse me for being out of the loop." She muttered.

"Anyway" Yuna said, breaking away from that rather awkward moment. "I can indeed give you back you're mother, as long as you're willing to give me your ship in return."

That sounded like a fair trade. Of course I would have given a thousand times more to have my mother brought back to me."  
"It's yours," I whispered.

"Well I don't know what's going on." Tron said, "but I really have no argument with you flying the ship. I mean, better you than her."

I drew a deep breath and sighed. She really trusted someone she barely even knew to fly the ship over me? "Oh well" I thought. At least Tron was beginning to act like her old self again I supposed.

Yuna walked over to the control panel and placed her hand on the area directly between Tron and me.

"You may want to get behind me Roll."

I got up from my chair and did as she asked without hesitation. I didn't know what was going to happen but I made sure that I would be prepared for when it came.

"Alright, here we go." Yuna said eagerly.

The panel on which Yuna's hand rested began to glow a strange greenish hue and within a few moments her head dropped and her body swayed and toppled like a rag doll. I was able to catch her before she hit the floor. I assumed that this was the reason Yuna had asked me to stand behind her. I looked into the vacant face of the body Yuna had left behind…my mother. She looked so peaceful, like she was sleeping.

"Ah, this is much roomier than my old body." I heard Yuna's voice sound over the ship's intercom system. "I could get used to this."

"My my Yuna," Sera said playfully, "you've certainly gained a lot of weight since the last time we met."

"That's very interesting." Megaman joined in. "I thought only servitor units could merge with machinery."

"What's wrong with her!?" I suddenly broke in, stopping everyone from their bantering. "Why won't she open her eyes!?"

Everyone stared at me for a moment before Yuna's bodiless voice finally answered me.

"It's alright Roll, you're mother is perfectly fine. But it might take a while for her to regain consciousness. She hasn't used her body or mind for quite some time and her cerebral cortex needs to first recuperate before she can become fully functional again."

"How long will that take?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm afraid I can't give you an exact number Roll; her mind must recover at its own pace."

"Can you at least give me an estimation?" I asked her frantically.

"Less than twenty-four hours" Megaman said.

I looked over, surprised to see him suddenly kneeling next to me with his hand on my mother's forehead. He had moved so fast…how did he do that without me even noticing?

I watched Megaman closely as he stared down at my mother's face. He closed his eyes and concentrated, filling me with curiosity at what it was he was seeing.

"Of course." Yuna said. "Megaman's ability to read a carbons mind and body is significantly enhanced, at a level even higher than mine."

I continued to watch Megaman's expressions as he persistently delved into my mother's mind. I was so jealous of him, being able to see things I couldn't. I wanted to ask what it was he was looking for when suddenly I saw a small, tranquil smile manifest itself across his face. He opened his eyes slowly, and gradually looked up at me with glowing eyes.

"What is it?" I whispered.

Megaman's smile grew wider as he looked back down at my mother.

"She's dreaming." He said calmly. "I can see her standing in the middle of a meadow beneath the clear morning sky of a cloudless day. She's singing softly to a young child cradled in her arms."

Megaman looked back up at me.

"You were smiling at her Roll. You were both very happy."

My eyes were overfilling with tears as Megaman spoke to me. I smiled at him; let my gaze wash over him with a tenderness and love I never even knew existed. I knew just how sincere he was being, knew because this dream he had showed me was also my dream, the dream of a memory I had locked away in my subconscious, relentlessly holding to it with every ounce of my will.

"Thank you Megaman." I whispered to him. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I hope you realize what it means to me."

I could feel my heart bursting. I couldn't stop it now, nor did I want to. My face lowered as I spoke, so softly that only he would be able to hear me.

"And…I hope you understand…truly…what _you _mean to me.

I looked up at him. His face was lost in disbelief, incomprehensive to what I was saying. But that didn't cause me to hesitate. Whether or not he felt the same way about me, I was going to tell him.

"Megaman…" I said compassionately, "I hope you realize…how much I've fallen in love with you."

It was silent for a moment as we stared into each other's eyes. His mouth hung slightly open, as if trying to grasp what I had actually said to him. I simply continued to smile at him.

"Hey!" Tron suddenly broke in "What are you two talking about!? I hope you're both not forgetting what's going on. We need to get a move on here so stop wasting time and let's get going!"

_Thank you Tron_ I thought to myself. Without missing a beat, Megaman scooped up my mother and stood up.

"Don't worry about you're mom Roll. I'll take care of her," Megaman said with a reassuring smile. "You should get strapped up, Yuna's getting ready to take off."

Just as Megaman had finished speaking I felt the ship's engines roar to life. I got on my feet, paused for a brief moment, and then nodded complacently. Reluctantly I turned away from him and sat down in the pilot's seat, clamping down my harness extra tight this time just to be safe.

"I hope everyone's secure" Yuna said as the ship lifted off the ground.

My grip on the harness tightened as the ship's rotational chambers reverberated throughout the hull. I could hear the deep hum of the main engine grow more and more intense as it prepared to fire. I looked over at Tron to see that her eyes were sealed shut, meaning she wasn't the one operating the ship's systems. It looked like Yuna was doing all of this on her own. I simply hoped she proved to be as competent a pilot.

"Here we go." Yuna said calmly.

The ship exploded forward without warning and lurched upward into the sky. The instantaneous G-force nearly caused me to black out as my vision blurred and darkened. I didn't remember the Eclipse having such power before. Apparently Yuna had made some modifications.

As she shot through the shimmering clouds of Elysium's outer atmosphere the gleaming colors began to fade. Before long the Eclipse was once again consumed by the dark emptiness of space. I felt my body start to float as Zero-G kicked in and I took a deep breath to regain the oxygen Yuna's lift-off has punched out of me.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Yuna apologized half-heartedly. "Was that a little too fast?"

Before I could make my snide remark, Tron cried out in pain. I turned my head quickly to see what was wrong and saw that she was clutching her side, trying to stifle her cries with a clenched jaw.

"Tron, what is it!" I said panicked. "What's wrong?"

"It's her injuries" Yuna said coolly. "We've gone out off range of Elysium's pain suppression fields and she's now feeling them all at once.

"It hurts," Tron whimpered. "It feels like I can't breath"

I cringed as I watched her. I felt so useless. I wanted to help but there was simply nothing I could do for her. I felt guilt searing inside of me thinking that she had to go through the pain of her injuries that I had caused, while I for some reason felt nothing.

"Miss Tron!" A high-pitched servebot cried out.

"Are you alright!?" Another one with a deeper voice called out.

Before she could answer them, assuming she was even able to, Megaman floated over to where Tron and I were sitting. Gently, he removed her grip from where she held her injured area and lightly pressed his hand against her side. Tron's writhing began to cease and she looked up at him redder than a tomato, while his expression remained concentrated and relaxed.

"What on earth is he doing!?" I thought to myself. Did he even realize that his hand was only inches away from Tron's…

"Finished" Megaman said, calmly removing his hand from Tron's side. "I've dulled the nerve endings near the damaged area. You should be all right for now."

Tron looked up at him dumbfounded.

"I…I didn't know you could do that." She stuttered.

"Until recently, neither did I." He said flipping his body around and pushing himself back to his seat.

My eyes followed him as he floated by; awe-inspired by these incredible things he was now able to do.

"He's changed so much" I whispered.

"You truly have no idea," Yuna said solemnly.

**9. Unleashed**

Gravity's pull seemed to strengthen as Yuna piloted the Eclipse inward toward the large mass of green terrain called Terra. The ship rattled and jarred through the barricading clouds of atmosphere that clashed against the outer hull in an array of flaming lashes that burned themselves across the withering metal armor. The heat of the cabin soared to a fiery 135 degrees Fahrenheit as the ship streaked downward, plunging deeper and deeper toward the grave it was about to dig itself.

I couldn't be sure whether Yuna had lost control of the ship or was simply having too much fun with her new toy, with the cost of everyone's comfort apparently being acceptable losses. As Yuna's hoots and holler's of excitement testified to the latter, I was not too worried as we continued our perilous descent. That of course couldn't be said for the servebots as they writhed in blood-curdling screams, flailing about as there imminent pulverization drew near. As incredibly entertaining as this sight was, quite especially the ones who simply went catatonic in dread, I couldn't shake off these new emotions of incalculable perplexity Roll's confession had placed on me.

Roll's falling in love with me was, in all truth, completely and absolutely absurd. Notwithstanding the deep affection I had for her, which time and again I had forcefully attempted to dismiss simply as a false hope that would only bring about unnecessary complications, I would never in my entire life believe that I could actually become a romantic interest of hers. But now that it had actually happened, would it be right to engage in these feelings?

And what about Tron, I thought to myself. As ridiculous, illogical, and completely incorrect as it seemed, during the brief encounters we had shared in the past I was beginning to find myself more and more attracted to her, the only reason I allowed such thoughts being that I knew Roll would never love me the same way I tried not to love her. It was almost painfully obvious that Tron had something for me. I tried to ignore this as well, despite my hidden attraction, since of course falling in love with a pirate was about as absurd as Roll falling in love with me.

"Yuna, could you take it easy" I said as the Eclipse rattled and shook me in my seat. "I can't concentrate on my thoughts."

"You can think when we've landed." Yuna said reproachfully. "We don't have the time to slow down, and besides, I'm having way too much fun."

That's what I figured

"Now then, where was it you say I was supposed to land?" Yuna said as the ship's velocity began to slow down.

"Calbania, about five-miles north-west from the location you and Megaman departed from." Roll yelled out.

I smiled as I heard Roll's voice. It was so sweet, even when she was shouting. I couldn't help but be absorbed by every little thing about her. The way she spoke so adorably, her endearingly appealing smile, even that little sparkle in her eye whenever she looked at me caused my heart to skip a beat every time. She was simply so perfect in so many ways, in my eyes at least. I lowered my head and my smile slowly faded.

"And what am I?" I thought to myself. "A machine, built for destruction and death, undeserving and aberrant of harboring such feelings of care and affection."

I couldn't fight who I truly was, someone not worthy of Roll's love, nothing more than a piece of equipment, an instrument so to speak, or bluntly put…a tool.

"Megaman" Roll shouted. "Are you ok? How's my mother doing back there?"

"She's still unconscious." I shouted back looking over at Roll's mother strapped in the seat next to me.

"And you're alright to, aren't you?"

I smiled once again – she was so good at making me doing that.

"I'm perfectly fine Roll." I said laughing light-heartedly.

I kept smiling this time, unable to tear myself down with pessimistic thoughts. She loved me, that's all that mattered. I knew there was no point in hiding my feelings any longer, not when she had finally given me the green light. I promised myself that I would tell her how I felt the very next chance I got.

The Eclipse's speed slowed increasingly as we drew closer to our destination till at last I felt the ship come to a complete stop and gradually start to descend. It looked like we'd arrived, and with such a nicer landing too. I hoped that Roll wasn't too upset that her landing wasn't as graceful.

"Well I, for one, am going to say that Yuna piloting the ship was a good trade-off" Tron said cheerfully. "I didn't even know this ship could make such fancy landings."

"It couldn't" Yuna said over the intercom. "At least not until I was done with it."

"And look!" Tron yelled excitedly. "Everyone's on their way to welcome us back!"

I undid the harness to my restraints and rushed to the front of the ship. I looked to where Tron was pointing and saw the familiar faces I had left behind making their way to the ship.

"How did they know we'd be here?" I asked.

"This is the launch site were we took off from." Roll said smiling up at me. "They must have waited for us the whole time."

My smile broadened profusely as I watched our welcome-wagon make there way closer to the ship. Without thinking, I grabbed Roll's hand and eagerly pulled her up from her seat.

"Well let's not keep them waiting." I said excitedly.

Roll's eyes glistened as she beamed her captivating smile at me. We started making our way to the ship's access way before I had even realized that our hands were still interlocked. I looked over at Tron. She had not made a move. I let my hand slip away from Roll's – she released reluctantly – and made my way back over to Tron. I could see in her eyes that were staring vacantly into the control panel in front of her that my little outburst I had just shared with Roll had hurt her. I felt disappointed in myself that I would show such a complete disregad to her feelings.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, and smiled.

"Well c'mon Tron, are you just going to sit here? I'm sure your brothers and the other servebots are all really excited to see you."

"Well…" she said poignantly, making sure that her eyes kept their distance from mine, "I'm glad that at least_ they_ are"

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

She paused briefly and then after a few moments stood up. She smiled at me and shook her head.

"Oh it's…it's nothing. Forget I said anything."

She walked briskly to where Roll was standing and turned back to look at me. "Let's get going. I'm sure Tiesel and the other's will be excited to see what we brought back."


	2. Chapter 2

"Tron!" Tiesel shouted as we all stepped down from the exit platform, "Thank goodness you're all right!"  
"Was there ever a doubt?" She replied winking at him.

I smiled with joy to see the entire Bonne family, Gramps, and even Von Bluecher rush up to meet us. After being stranded on Elysium for so long I had nearly forgotten what they had all looked like. Tiesel looked over at me in surprise. My smile thinned as I caught his gaze.

"This should be interesting," I thought to myself.

"That's not…Megaman is it?"  
"Well, as far as we can tell." Tron snickered turning her head to smile at me. "And he even came back with a shiny new suit."

As everyone gathered around us I spotted Gramps gawking at my new appearance. I smiled at his amusing expression and ran over to greet him alongside Roll.

"Megaman, is that really you?" he asked almost tearing up.

"The one and only." I said trying to pose a majestic stance as I spoke.

"Oh, my boy, I can't tell you how overjoyed I am to see you alive." He stammered with choked up words all at once flinging his arms around me. "I had almost given up hope."

"Well I'm just glad that Roll never did." I said smiling at her.

She blushed and looked away in embarrassment.

"Well…" She said coyly, "I can't take all the credit. Tron and the Bonne family were a huge help."

I looked back at Tiesel to see that his eyebrow was still raised as he examined my pristine exterior. I gave him a modest smile and nodded appraisingly.

"Well for that you and your family have my deepest of thanks." I said to Tiesal respectively.

He continued to eye me cautiously for a brief moment and then decided to let down his guard. He returned my gesture with a quick nod, finally acknowledging my presence.

"Yeah uh, well, nice to see you again… blue boy. Anyway! Tron, I'm sure you brought back all of that neat stuff from up there right!?"

"Neat stuff…" Sera said cynically, abhorred by such a gross understatement.

"Oh, and who might you be young lady?" Gramps asked turning his gaze to Sera.

"Careful Barrel" Bluecher said cautiously, walking up from behind Gramps. "She has a strange resemblance to those two we found on Forbidden Island, the ones who had claimed to be ancients."

Bluecher turned to look at Roll.

"Those two caused all of us much grief. Why, may I ask, did you bring one back with you?"

I stepped in to defend Sera as she backed away from all the hostility being thrown at her. While it was true that she did in fact cause a substantial amount of trouble in the past, her actions as of late had professed of unbridled willingness to atone for her earlier wrong-doings.

"Wait, it's all right. She's on our side!" I said hastily.

"Babuuu!" Bon said standing behind Tiesel.

"Yeah, I don't like the look of her either" Tiesel said to Bon under his breath as quietly as he could. Apparently, he didn't know that my ears could now detect sounds that even bats were unable to hear…assuming my vague understanding of bats was accurate.

"Well you can like her or not," I said, matching their caustic voice with mine. "Nevertheless she is a friend."

Sera unveiled a reserved smile at me as I stood up for her. I returned the smile. It was the least I could do for her anyway to repay her kindness.

"Besides Tiesel," Tron cut in, trying to break the enmity in the air. "We did, in fact, bring back an entire cache of advanced technology. She can help us with it, show us how to work it and all that."

Tron really did know her brother better than I did as the words "cache" and "advanced technology" made his eyes light up like a fire works display.

"Well I guess we should cut her some slack" Tiesal immediately reprised. "This is, besides, a happy occasion. No need to vent any unfriendliness or aggression."

All at once as Tiesal spoke, everything slowed as a dark shroud enveloped the atmosphere around me. I felt something…something strange. It was wrong whatever it was, a looming sense of unease, as if a threat of some sort was approaching.

"I agree" Gramps said hollowly, almost like an echo in this darkly dense conception of emotions. "Now that we have Megaman back, as well as Roll and Tron, we can start with the…"

Did no one else feel anything? Everything seemed to be slowing down, as if the moment were bracing itself for a collision with an unknown catastrophe.

"That's right." Roll's slow, distant voice rang out. "Now's the perfect time. We should probably…"

All at once my head shot to the right as I lowered into my defensive stance. My movements were so quick that it took several moments for everyone to realize my body had even shifted. Everything slowly churned back into real time as the threat had been assessed and the gears of my mind began to rotate.

Everyone's eyes were on me. They didn't know what to make of this new behavior apparently. They didn't understand that only five- hundred and thirty-two yards away from us…an entire legion of hostiles was making its way toward our position.

It didn't take long however for everyone to hear the sounds. The grinding treads of tanks, the ghostly cries of banshee-like warships gliding in the air…all of which made my lips curl into a treacherous smile.

Everyone's expressions sank in terror at these bodiless sounds, out of sight due to the arching hills that cloaked their presence.

"What is that sound?" Roll said frightened.

"It doesn't sound friendly that's for sure" Bluecher said in response.

"I think I might know who it is." Tiesal glared turning his head to look at everyone. "And I think I know what they're after."

"He must have found out what we were up to!" Tron said to him. "He must be after the cargo we brought back. I'm sure he's been hiding in wait ever since we left."

Gramps was the first to move, not bothering to ask whom it was Tiesal and Tron were talking about. He trotted alongside us motioning us to follow.

"C'mon, we should get back to the launch shelter before they get here."

"Too late!" I shouted at him, stopping him in his tracks. "They're already too close! We're just going to have to greet them head on."

"Are you crazy!" Tron shouted, "Or are you just deaf! Can't you hear what's coming! If whatever that sound is is looking for a fight there's no way we'll be able to hold it off by ourselves, especially the way we're equipped now!"

"I'm not expecting any of you to do any fighting whatsoever. Everyone get behind me, as far back as you can. I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure you can manage that" Roll said to me apprehensively.

"I'd do what he says," Sera said matter-of-factly. "You really have no idea what he's capable of now. I've seen it myself."

"Enough chit-chat! Everyone behind me NOW!"

Everyone stared at me, shocked by my uncouth abruptness, something so unlike my normal behavior. They then hesitantly began to move back, everyone, that is, except for Roll who simply stood there staring at me in disbelief.

"Roll…" I said pleadingly.

I wanted to say more but for some reason couldn't bring myself to. I was simply trapped by her eyes, staring at me as if I were someone she had never met before.

"Roll, please. I don't want you to get hurt."

She lowered her head in defeat.

"I don't care what happens to me." She said faintly, yet firmly. "After what I went through when you were gone…I can't let anything ever happen to you again. I can't just let you face these things by yourself anymore. I want to be there when it all happens. I want to be by your side."

As unbearably romantic as her words were, making my heart nearly explode, I couldn't do this for her. Right now, being at my side would most likely get her killed, by me if not by the enemy. I couldn't let that happen, but decided to appease her words, finding that they held special meaning for her.

"Roll" I said placing my hands on her shoulders. "I understand what you mean, I know what it is you want."

I smiled at her, which she did in turn.

"But" I continued, "It's something that's going to have to wait. Right now I need you to be safe so that I can do this with a clear mind that you're out of harms way."

I brought my lips to her ear and whispered.

"Don't worry about me getting hurt. If these guys are looking for a fight it'll be over before they even realize one had started."

She continued looking at me in desperation until at last she lowered her defenses.

"Hurry back" she whispered and turned to run and join the others.

I turned to look at the Eclipse…or Yuna I supposed. Looked like we were the only ones left…for the time being that is.

"You still there Yuna!?" I called out.

"Were else would I go!" The ships intercom voiced out.

"Good! I need you to get some distance from here, find a safe place to keep Roll's mother and the cargo safe, while I deal with this little distraction."  
"What about you're battle helmet. It's still onboard. Don't you think you might need it?"

"I think I can manage."

"Suit yourself"

With that, Yuna lifted the ship off the ground and took off. I then turned my head to face the enemy that began to creep over the green hill in the distance, all being lead by a large bird-like ship.

"Well well, look what we have here" The sinisterly familiar voice of Glyde called out from the warship. "Looks like the blue punk found his way home."

I simply stared down Glyde's ship, clenching my fists as my eyes narrowed and the fire in my blood churned. Entire regiments of tanks and birdbot soldiers rushed toward me. The sky was swarming with snub fighters similar to the ones I had battled on Nino Island, all of which shrieked around the main gunship Glyde occupied.

"Well as much as I'd love to reminisce about the old days" Glyde began in a boastful nature, "I'm afraid that you and your friends are standing in my way of that little ship of yours that's getting away and I simply can't have that, so if you'd just step aside I'll be obliged to spare your lives."

I looked behind me to make sure the others were far enough back. I knew I would never forgive myself if one of them received even a scratch by my hand. Seeing that they were all well out of harms way I turned my focus back on Glyde's ship.

"I don't want to fight you Glyde," I said unconvincingly. Funny, those words didn't match my thoughts.

"And I'm very sure that you don't want to fight me."

Glyde's proceeding laugh was very boisterous, which was not at all a surprise. As I expected, he was incredibly unaware of he who was truly dealing with.

"I'm tempted to say "you and what army" but then I remember that you once took on my entire base and lived. Quite a feat I can honestly say, but that attack was unexpected and my troops were sloppy when dealing with you. This time you won't be so lucky."

Glyde's small army continued it's deadly advance, too close now to strike any negotiations. I couldn't allow them to get any closer and risk Roll and the others getting hurt in the crossfire. I had to take care of this right here and now, letting that side of me take absolute control. I thought of Roll who was no doubt watching me and hoped she would understand.

Everything around me slowed as my right foot planted into the ground, launching my body forward at unparalleled speed toward my oblivious prey. The distance to them was now two hundred meters and I could hear the low hollowed cries of a caught of guard "Open fire!" reverberate the air molecules around me. As I rushed toward the line of tanks and infantry, the space between us fractured and exploded with the sounds of cannon fire and spraying bullets. I effortlessly dodged the incoming fire, flinging my body side to side instants before the ground my feet momentarily touched exploded with dirt and debris from wasted shells. My arms shot out to my sides and quickly transformed into the pair of weapons I had experimented with during my training with Sera. Designated as the Tri-pod launcher, I found this weapon particularly effective when facing multiple armored targets. When I first saw it, it looked like nothing more than an elongated, shiny blue egg. I then quickly discovered why it was named Tri-pod, as the egg shape split into three different sections, each containing a missile dock within its interior that would instantly regenerate a new missile when the previous one was discharged. Now would be a perfect time to give a full demonstration of their ferocity.

I launched my body into the air, parallel to the ground in a twirling spiral as bullets whizzed and ricocheted off my armor. I held my arms out in front of me as I spun wildly, turning myself into a human Gatling gun. My arms split open, engaging the missile launchers hidden within, and with a streaming sound of fwooshing wumps, shrieking trails of rockets gushed from my arms, streaking swiftly through the air as they followed the course to the targets I had set for each and every one of them.

I tucked in as I hit the ground, rolling smoothly on to my feet and pushing off the ground with such force that my body literally propelled itself over one hundred feet into the air. I watched below as the entire frontline of their forces lit up in a spectacular display of blossoming explosions as the missiles made contact with the targets. The force of the detonation caused all the ground and sky to tremble. As my body soared over the smoldering wreckage of tanks, I turned my attention on the masses of birdbot infantry that occupied the rear. They were all still dazed from the previous blast that had knocked them off their feet, which made them all helpless to the imminent barrage I was about to unleash.

Simultaneously, my arms shifted and transformed, reconstructing themselves into another useful weapon I had used during my training. This weapon, named the Scatter Shot, was specifically designed for attacking while air born. It worked just like a water sprinkler, except instead of water, this weapon sprayed out a storm of high-velocity green energy projectiles that were razor sharp and incredibly lethal. Used at high enough altitudes, this weapon's spread could blanket an entire battlefield, making it ideal for this situation.

I targeted the unsuspecting mass below and unleashed a storm of fire. Hundreds of birbots began to fall as the piercing needles of energy sliced through the air, slashing and dicing them to ribbons. A vociferous howling of commotion and panic rose from the withering ranks as I continued to rain destruction down on them like a merciless cloud of death. As gravity's pull finally managed to grab a hold of me I decided to move to the next phase of my attack and ceased fire, allowing my arms to transform into the third weapon I would employ.

As I had expected, there was still a number of birdbots that had survived the attack, some by using their comrades' bodies as shields and others simply by sheer luck – not to last much longer. They were now aiming their weapons at me as I continued my descent. I wrapped my body into a series of aerial maneuvers, dodging most of their shots and simply deflecting the others off the resilient surface of my solid, impervious armor. I then pointed my legs toward the ground and smashed into the dirt in a kneeling position, absorbing the shock of impact with the one knee, one flat foot and one hand pose that must have looked so incredibly cool.

Within an instant of hitting the ground, I sprung out of the newly formed crater I had just fashioned and launched myself toward the terrified birdbot ten meters in front of me. Before he could even flinch my arm swung out at him as I activated the glowing yellow shaft of my Zero saber, swiftly slicing off the head off the annoying little pest. I quickly turned heel and threw myself at the next closest birdbot, efficiently dealing the same punishment. My body moved at blinding speed as I continued my work mopping up the rest of the infantry, gliding with fluid movements as I arched and vaulted over their useless attacks against me.

The blood in my veins seared as hot as the sun as I burned with sheer ecstasy. The elation and thrill of the heat of battle washed over me. I was unstoppable, relentless, and it felt so… wonderful! The second blade shot out of the spinning disc on my left hand as I deflected several well-aimed shots targeting my back while severing the two birdbots in front of me with the other. I felt like a freaking Jedi! I was untouchable, pure concentrated power!

I could feel that the fighter-ships were screaming toward me in a cluttering pandemonium. Glyde's ship made sure to keep an intelligent distance away from me as he threw his last remaining forces at me. I smiled wickedly as I overheard his panicky cries.

"What's happening!? W- what is this guy!? D-Do something! Anything! Stop him!"

But there was no stopping me, and soon it would all be over. I pushed off the ground in a spinning lariat over the last remaining birdbot as the fighter ships swarmed around me and prepared to fire. As I landed behind the tiny, squabbling nuisance, I launched myself upward, bisecting the little, armed chicken with my blade as I shot into the sky, into the heart of the swarm. I glanced at my power meter to make sure I'd have enough energy for this last maneuver. Seeing that I had only used up a sliver of the bar's power level, I transformed both my arms into my primary weapon: the Omega Buster.

Using the momentum manipulators located on my back, handy little tools that could spontaneously shift my body's trajectory during mid-flight, I violently spun myself into an erratic whirling vortex. Transcendence glowed within me as I felt my battle functions reach their maximum. Time and space seemed to completely stop as everything around me grew still and quiet. As the ghost in the darkness besieged and consumed my soul… I smiled mysteriously, knowing that this… was the end.

In a heavenly display of the absolute power which I dominated, I stretched out my arms within my spinning whirlpool and fired the unrelenting blasts of exploding blue energy into the blaring midst of ships. The air shattered and quaked with the sounds of airships being enveloped by my bombardment as the torrent of blue streams surged out of me, consuming every last vessel in the rage of my storm.

Finally, the storm ceased and gracefully my body fell to the Earth. As I stood straight, my head kept lowered, the flaming wreckage of one hundred eradicated ships rained down around me.

"Only one left" I said sinisterly, turning my head slowly to gaze at the solitary warship that hung in the air. I glimpsed at my power meter. That last little stunt had drained more than half of my suit's energy. I'd have to utilize this last weapon intelligently, make sure not to use any more than I had to in order to take him down effectively.

I restored my arms to their original state and rushed with fierce speed towards Glyde's ship.

"NO, STAY BACK!!" he cried pathetically.

It didn't help him. I sprinted with vicious momentum until I got close enough to jump up above his ship. I then constructed on my right arm the weapon I had only used for a brief moment on Elysium. The weapon was called the Piercing Beam in the weapons log, but Sera had said the true name of the weapon…"Divine Justice", gave it accurate meaning.

As I hovered above Glyde's mammoth craft, the weapon charged with an intense hum. Fully optimized, I aimed the weapon to the right of Glyde's ship, discharged the beam and sliced the craft in two. Sailing over the ship, I landed on the ground and turned my head to watch the two pieces of Glyde's main vessel plummet to the earth. I double-backed; throwing myself through the air over the wreckage and landing directly in front of the pitiable carbon that struggled out of the debris.

The moment once again grew still as he stared up at me in horror. It was almost amusing. Giving no consent to this weak creature's dread, I switched to the Omega Buster, which I aimed squarely at his forehead. It was overkill to use such a weapon at this close range. The blast would likely annihilate the entire upper-half of his body – messy, but why not?

Glyde's lips began to quiver as he stared down the barrel of my gun. His eyes grew wet.

"Please…" he whimpered. "Please have mercy…"

My eyes narrowed and my jaw tightened. My aim became shaky as he stared up at me with those…eyes. Those teary eyes were somehow distracting me.

No…this wasn't right. Something inside was fighting against me. What I was doing was wrong…but…why? My gun lowered as I remembered something I had realized on Elysium…

_I was different now, different from the individual who would show empathy to his enemies rather than finishing them off at a moment of weakness._

"But…does that mean…"

I shook my head in frustration. It made no sense; whatever these feelings were, whatever they meant, it didn't matter. A purifier did not hesitate in combat. I raised my gun and prepared to fire.

"MEGAMAN, NO! STOP!" a voice cried out to me, shooting into my soul like a bolt of lightning and breaking me away from the dark trance of the ghost.

10. Desperation

I turned to look back at Megaman as we all rushed to get behind him. I'd never seen him like this before. He was so concentrated and focused, not to mention incredibly confident from the way his complete steadiness and composure testified. As I continued looking at him, amazed by how well he kept his cool, I stumbled over a slight rise on the ground and toppled over. I should probably have kept an eye on where I was running.

"Roll!" Tron shouted, turning back and running to my side.

She hastily took a hold of my arm and helped lift me up.

"C'mon, we don't have time for your clumsiness right now! We're already dragging behind so let's go!"

We both hurried to catch up to everyone else before Tiesal suddenly raised his hand motioning everybody to stop.

"I think we've gone far enough." He said, turning to face everyone. "I don't know what that blue boy is planning, but we better all hope that he knows what he's doing."

"So what's happening then?" I said flustered. "Do you know who's coming? What do they want!?"

Tiesal sneered as he looked back over at Megaman. Bad memories I could only guess.

"I'm almost certain that's Glyde on the other side of that hill. No doubt he's been aware of what we've been doing, and it sounds like he's been preparing for you and Tron's return from Elysium."  
"Glyde?" Where had I heard that name before? I traced my memory, searching for this familiar name until I suddenly remembered that incident on Nino Island.

"Wait a minute," I said suddenly snapping to attention. "Isn't he the pirate who attacked Nino Island?"

Tiesal looked at me curiously.

"Yes, I heard he was responsible for that. How did you know that?"

I looked back at Megaman, who still remained like a statue in his position.

"Because we were there when it happened." I said solemnly. "It was Megaman who defended Nino from Glyde's attack."

"Well let's hope his luck hasn't changed since then." Bleucher said.

We all stared down the field where Megaman held his ground, waiting for that ominous noise to creep over the hill. It sounded terrifyingly massive whatever it was.

"Look at him." Gramps said mystified. "He looks so calm and level-headed. He doesn't look worried at all"

"And he has no reason to be." Sera said smiling. "I would say that this should take him no more than sixty seconds once he gets started."

"Sixty seconds!" I thought to myself, bewildered by such an unreasonable estimation by Sera. I looked over at her and saw painted on her face an expression that gave evidence that she was not kidding. But…could that even be possible?

Then, as I turned my head once again to look at Megaman, I saw it. Rolling over the hill, a wave of twisting, churning metal poured toward us. The sky became shrouded by hundreds of small fighter ships; all swarming around a massive aircraft shaped just like the one Megaman and I had faced on Nino. My mouth hung open, my face turning pale at the site of this colossal force. Instinctively, my body moved forward toward Megaman, hoping that somehow I'd reach him before they did. I had to do something. I had to protect him.

I hardly took my first step before Sera's hand reached out and clutched my shoulder. I looked back at her and saw that her expression had not changed. Her eyes were still concentrated on Megaman with utmost confidence. I turned my head back at Megaman and saw that he had not lost an ounce of the composure he demonstrated so proficiently.

"Have faith in him Roll." Sera whispered. "Believe me when I say that he is in no danger at all."

I bit my lower lip in anxiety. I wanted to take reassurance in Sera's words, but how could I when looking at what he was up against?

"Please be alright Megaman," I whispered desperately.

The roiling metal force churned down the base of the hill toward Megaman. The horde of ships halted along with the enormous ship and I heard a voice echo from its hull.

"Well, well, look what we have here." The voice of Glyde called out.

I tuned out his annoyingly arrogant voice as I drowned in suffocating concern for Megaman. I stood frozen, paralyzed with fear that something would happen to him. I supposed that it didn't really matter if I could move or not. Besides, what could I do for him, except get in the way? I lowered my head in shame, acknowledging my weakness, so worthless that all I could do was watch.

But then, as I lifted my head, I saw him turn to look back at me… and trembled at what I beheld. His eyes…I saw a presence in his eyes that filled me with a sudden, terrible horror. Despite the distance between us, I could see it perfectly, almost feel the aura of his mind. My concern for his well being instantly faded away as I discovered that he was, in fact, completely out of harms way. But it was only to be replaced by a new, even more terrifying dread.

He turned to face Glyde's forces once again, paused for a brief moment, and then ruptured forth with unfathomable speed, headlong into the thick of the artillery. Everyone except for Sera withdrew in shock at his incredible swiftness. I stared at this spectacular site with wide-eyes, bringing my hands to my mouth in a gasp as the air suddenly cracked and exploded with the sounds of tank shells being fired. My heart-pounded as I watched his movements blur with astonishing speed and acrobatic skill, flinging himself in spiraling arcs and lightening-quick steps as he gracefully dodged all of their attacks.

"He's incredible!" Tron shouted. "I've never seen him move like that before!"

"Wait a second, look!" Tiesal blared out. "Something's happening to his arms!"

Tiesal was right. Megaman's arms contorted and transformed, shifting unnaturally into a new shape. Before I could get a better look – it was hard to see what was going on so far away – Megaman launched himself into a twirling spiral. White smoke trails began to pour out out of the two newly shaped arms. As countless missiles shrieked through the air, Megaman hit the ground, rolled stylishly, and then launched himself high into the air.

"Whoa!" Tiesal exclaimed. "How'd he do that!?"

"It must be that new armor he's wearing!" Gramps shouted.

As Megaman soared through the air, the grinding metal army that rolled toward us ignited in fiery chain of explosions. Within a few moments the entire armored force of Glydes army was completely annihilated. Then, as I watched Megaman fly above the remaining forces, his arms shifted and changed once again. He aimed downward and unleashed a flurry of small, green spikes that rained down on the confused rabble of birdbot infantry.

I clutched my chest as I watched him, not able to breath. I had never witnessed this kind of unrestrained ferocity coming from Megaman. I could feel my whole body quake as I watched him devastate Glyde's infantry with such unrelenting force. I turned away from the site, sealing my eyes shut and clasping my hands over my ears as I shrank to the ground. I continued to tremble as images of the sweet, gentle Megaman I once knew played through my mind.

His beautiful smile, his sweet laugh, all the things I had come to remember him by so well from our lives together. I thought of our first dig together, how patient he had been with me. Even after I ended up getting him so hopelessly lost, he had never shown a traceable sign of frustration with me. I remembered the way he would always show such endearing support when I screwed up most royally, even when I had accidentally hit him with the support car on Kattalox.

But now he was different. Those eyes…held an unspeakable malice. They burned with a fire of destruction and power unlike anything I had ever seen. I shook my head as I tried to push the memory out of my head, forget everything I had just witnessed. I had to remember who he was, who he use to be…and who he still was. He had not changed entirely; I knew that for sure. He was only trying to protect me.

All of the sudden, everything around me shook violently, nearly knocking us all to our feet as the sounds of unending explosions rocked the earth. I gasped in horror.

"Megaman!" I screamed, turning my head quickly to see if he had been hurt.

I saw him standing solemnly, not a scratch on his body, in the middle of the field. All around him, flaming wreckage of the swarm of fighters crashed and toppled to the earth. My eyes stared wide with unbelief at this scene of total destruction. All that was left was Glyde's ship, which Megaman immediately turned on. Glyde cried out in panic as Megaman rushed toward his ship and then, pushing off the ground, he soared above it. A shining beam of greenish blue energy shot from his arm and moved across the hull of the carrier, ultimately cutting the ship in half.

"He's going to kill him" I said softly, "Megaman is going to kill Glyde…"

"What are you talking about" Tron stammered. "Megaman wouldn't…"

"No!" I screamed, springing forward, running as fast as my legs could carry me. "You can't do this! Please, you have to stop!"

"Roll, what are you doing!" Tron screamed at me.

I kept running, my heart pounding as everyone behind me shouted for me to get back. I couldn't though; I couldn't run back. I had to stop him. I had to do something before it was too late. I saw him jump back into the air toward the crash site where I could see Glyde struggling to remove himself from the wreckage. My feet pushed harder off the ground in a desperate attempt to somehow reach him before he reached Glyde.

I didn't move fast enough, and Megaman planted on the ground in front of Glyde and raised his weapon to fire. I would be too late. I couldn't stop him now. Nevertheless, I kept moving, pushing harder and harder as I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"MEGAMAN, NO! STOP!"

All that I could remember after that was me clumsily tripping over my own feet and collapsing face-first on the ground. Tears began pouring out of my eyes as I waited to hear the blast of Megaman's weapon. I wasn't fast enough and now it was too late. I felt sick to my stomach as I continued waiting. All the beautiful images of him that I treasured so much were all about to be shattered as that horrible sound reverberated through the air, and I cringed at the thought of it. I continued waiting, waited for what felt like an eternity, but heard no sound.

I raised my head cautiously, to see what was taking him so long. Perhaps he had already taken the shot and my mind simply refused to register the awful noise. But as my eyes gazed at the spot where Glyde's death was supposed to take place, I saw that Megaman had not taken the shot at all, but instead, had toppled backward onto the ground. I looked at his face and saw that it was filled with horror. Before he could do anything else, I immediately crawled to his side and threw my arms around him, weeping uncontrollably as I held him as close to me as possible.

"You didn't do it." I whimpered. "You…you didn't do it."

He wrapped one of his hands around my arm as he panted profusely. His whole body was shaking.

"I-I could've…" he said, quivering.

"But you didn't!" I immediately stopped him. "It doesn't matter; everything's fine now"

Tears continued trailing down my face as I spoke.

"Everything is going to be alright."

**11. Confessions**

Onboard the Flutter, Megaman sat silently on the couch in the living room. He was bent over, his arms resting on his knees as he stared blankly at the green carpet. I sat on the couch next to him, rapping my fingers on the glass of water I held tremulously in my hands as we kept our eyes apart. I wanted to say something to him, break this looming silence that hung in the air like a noxious cloud, but I was unable to speak. Instead, I continued to focus my attention on the water glass, tapping on it mindlessly as I waited for him to say something.

Except for my mother, who still lied unconscious in Gramp's room, it was only the two of us who occupied the Flutters interior. Tron and the others were busy unloading the cargo we had brought back from Elysium. After, of course, they had restrained Glyde and taken him to the island's authorities. This left me in charge of taking care of Megaman as he slowly came to grips with reality. I had never seen him like this before; just like I had never seen him like _that _before, earlier, when he had faced Glyde's army, and completely lost control. He now seemed to be reeling from that experience, catatonic with shock and terror at what he had done… what he had almost done…

I shuddered at the horrible memory, pushing it away as I remembered the Megaman I used to know, the one who was sitting next to me right now, overcome with silence and dismay. I fought the urge to simply wrap my arms around him once again, tell him everything would be all right, but I knew that it wouldn't do him any good right now. What he needed right now was someone to talk to, a reassuring friend to comfort him. And that's what I was here for, to do exactly that. Comfort him.

I closed my eyes as I drew in a breath to speak. It wouldn't be easy but I had to say something.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. What a stupid question, I thought.

He shifted his head upward to look at me and I could see that a small glow of life had returned to his eyes. Apparently he appreciated the brief break of silence I had offered him.

"How do I feel?" he repeated perplexedly, as if he were searching for the answer himself.

"A bit…confused I guess."

I nodded curtly. I didn't want to drown him with questions and concerns so instead I simply listened to him patiently. I would start of slow; keep things simple.

"Are you sure you don't want anything? A drink, something to eat?"

He shook his head.

"I'm alright" he said warmly but then quickly descended back into his dark trance.

This wasn't helping as much as I had hoped it would. It was better than the silence, no doubt about that, but it wasn't enough. I couldn't simply act as if nothing had happened. If I wanted to help him at all, I would have to face the issue head on.

"Megaman," I started, abandoning my previous plans to start off slowly. "You shouldn't let what happened earlier eat you up like this. You were only trying to protect us right?"

My sudden outburst didn't do much to better the situation, as Megaman's gloom seemed to deepen. I wished that I could immediately take back what I had said.

"…That was my initial motivation." He said obscurely, letting his eyes meld with the floor as he spoke.

He didn't say anything after that. I turned away from him, letting myself drown in my own sense of uselessness. I only wished that I could make him feel better, say what he needed to hear to snap him out of this hypnosis that was holding him captive. But there was nothing that I could say or do that would change what had happened. Megaman had completely and mercilessly eradicated Glyde's forces with such vicious vitality that it had nearly drove him to kill Glyde willingly in the process of his pitiless rampage.

Not only that… but… he enjoyed it…found pleasure in his ruthless invincibility as he efficiently, effortlessly, and effectively eliminated the enemy.

But that was not the Megaman who was sitting next to me now. This was my friend, my deepest and truest of friends, a friend who was so full of care and love that one could almost see the halo of light encircling his head. But now, that person I knew and loved so much had experienced another side of him, a maliciously powerful presence that had shaken him to his very core. It had overwhelmed him, taken absolute control over his mind. But somehow, something had stopped it. Something had squelched that presence in the exact moment that it would have ultimately destroyed his inner light and love.

He was now trying to recover from this mental thrashing and he would need my support now, more than ever before. My feelings for him had not changed. Even after what I had witnessed, my intense love for him remained unscathed and as pure as ever. My desire to help him in anyway possible was instinctual, built in from the powerful bond that had grown between us during our lives together, and I would demonstrate this instinct as well as my frazzled mind could procure.

I scooted closer to him, resting my near-empty glass of water on the oak coffee table in front of us, and gently, I laid my hand atop his, massaging it tenderly as I smiled affectionately at him.

"You don't have to worry Megaman. Everything's going to be fine." I said. "I'm sure of it."

I thought it would be harder to convince myself of what I had just said, thinking of all that had happened, but I was quite surprised at how, strangely, the words seemed to flow naturally from my lips, as if they were truly sincere. I smiled brighter as I discovered that it was because deep in my heart I knew what I had said was true. Everything would be just fine; things would get better. Things would finally be the way they always should have been.

"I know you, know you better than anyone else ever will. I know what a loving person you are, so full of optimism and kindness that I'm surprised it simply hasn't burst out of you."

I laughed lightly as I remembered how this perpetual cheerfulness of his would sometimes irritate me. I was just so unnatural. I was almost jealous of him by how he made it look so easy. As I continued chuckling to myself, I felt the tense muscles in his hands begin to relax. It was working. I continued speaking so as not to lose this ground I had just claimed.

"I know deep in my heart that you're still the same person you've always been. What ever happened on Elysium, whatever caused you to feel these new emotions and powers; it still hasn't changed who you truly are inside."

My hand closed tighter around his as I felt my eyes begin to moisten. I smiled; shaking my head at how unrestrained I had allowed my emotions to become. I had cried so much lately; it was almost embarrassing. It was time to get a grip on myself, control my emotions and show more composure. I held back my tears and continued.

"I don't know what's going to happen from here on out. Things are going to be different, I'm sure about that. But now matter what comes, challenges, hardships or whatever it may be, we'll get through it. I know we will. We'll face it together, just like we always have. You and me, right?"

At last I saw a small smile purse Megaman's lips. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. I smiled back at him, not much more than he did, just a half smile, but it was enough. He nodded slowly and then gently rose from the couch, gracefully letting his hand slip away from mine.

"Thank you Roll." He said tenderly. "Thank you so much for being in my life. I can't tell you what it means to me. You've always been there for me, haven't you?"

"Only because you've always been there for me," I said, smiling brighter.

He nodded again, and then turned to make his way to the door.

"I think I need to rest awhile. That last scuffle with Glyde drained me a bit." He said, opening the door.

I saw a small part of the gloom he had festered before once again cloud his frame as he spoke.

"I really overdid it, didn't I?" he said.

I sighed.

"Probably" I said, shrugging a bit. "But you took care of the problem and managed to keep us all safe, so it doesn't matter."

I couldn't tell if I were fooling myself or not by how sincere my words sounded. Perhaps they held more truth than I thought. Either way, Megaman seemed convinced enough, as he nodded one last time and made his way to his room.

I was alone in the room now, with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. My stupid, annoying thoughts.

"Why did things have to get so complicated?" I silently whispered to myself, leaning over and shaking my head in weary frustration. "Why couldn't everything just be like it was before?"

As I continued deluding my mind, my senses started to pick up on something I had ignored for much too long, something I would never have allowed had I not been faced with all that was going on. My face reddened as I suddenly discovered how incredibly grungy I had become in the past several days. My clothes were ripped and scuffed, still blotched with patches of blood I had donated to them when we had crashed on Elysium, and my nose picked up on the slight odor that had accumulated around my body during my little adventure.

I shrunk in embarrassment as I remembered how close I had sat next to Megaman. I wondered if he had noticed the unpleasant smell, and bit my lower lip as the humiliation of the thought crushed down on me. Without hesitation, I sprung from the sofa and threw myself toward the door Megaman had used earlier and hastily made my way to my room. I just hoped that I wouldn't run into Megaman again, now that I was aware of my grimy visage. As I entered the bedroom hallway, I sighed in relief to see that it was empty, and that Megaman's door was closed shut, assuming that he was already inside.

I entered my room and headed directly to my dresser, pulling open my top drawer and grabbing a pair of extra clothes. I then snatched the towel hanging from my coat rack and with no wasted movement I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom.

All of the tension and stress that had built itself up inside of me for the past few days, nearly to the point of rupturing, seemed to completely melt away as my toes came into contact with the hot, soothing bathwater. I tried to savor every moment of it, slowly letting my feet slip into the steaming water, followed by my legs, gradually letting the wet relaxation soak up all of my apprehensions, until, at last, my whole body was completely submerged. I let out a sigh of relief as the warmth washed over me, alleviating the stiffness in my muscles and the distorting strain on my mind.

It was nice to be able to calm my nerves, even if for only a little bit. I knew, however, that once I eventually got out, everything would all come rushing back to me and plow me over like an angry tsunami. I tried not to think about that. I deserved a break from all of these tenaciously annoying thoughts my mind was consistently throwing down on me, and for what it was worth, I was going to appreciate the little time I had to temporarily forget everything.

After spending an overly long period of time enjoying my tranquility, I went through my normal routine of refreshing my hygienic state, vigorously scrubbing off all the grime and dirt that had practically formed a shell around me. I'd had worse of course, being a mechanic and everything.

I remember once working on the Flutter's engine for practically three days straight without a bath or shower, and by the time I was finally finished, Megaman could hardly recognize me under all of the oil and grease that coated every square inch of my body. It took me nearly the same amount of time working on the engine to clean it all off.

After I had finished restoring my skin to its original sheen and washed my hair several times to get all of the residue out, I emptied the water in the tub, draining all the filth I had provided along with it. I then refilled it with fresh, hot water, so that I could relax for a little while longer. It wasn't long, however, before someone started knocking on the door.

"Roll, are you in there?" I heard Megaman say from the other side of the door; the door I suddenly realized I had forgotten to lock.

I gasped in surprise. Without even thinking, I hastily ripped the towel from the rack next to the tub and quickly draped it over me, completely soaking it with water. It was then, after I had ruined my only method of getting dry, that I looked over at the door, only to realize that it hadn't been opened. I shrank in irritation at my sudden reaction to hearing his voice. I supposed it was only natural to respond like that though, especially after those last two incidents.

"Yeah, I'm here." I answered him timorously.

"Oh, are you taking a bath?" He quickly replied embarrassedly.

"Oh…um…yeah. I was"

"Sorry. I'll come back later."

"No, wait, it's fine. Stay there" I said, stepping out of the tub and wrapping the wet towel around me.

I walked to the door and turned the handle. It would be awkward – okay, maybe awkward was a wildly conservative understatement – but if he had something to say, I wasn't going to give him the chance to change his mind later on. He would tell me right here and now, face to face, even if all I was wearing was…

My face reddened. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Nevertheless, I gritted my teeth and opened the door.

His reaction to my current state was nothing like I'd expected. Rather than blushing in embarresment, as my face was now drenched in, he simply raised an eyebrow.

"You know," he said, curling his lips into an awkward smile, "The towel normally works best when applied _after _you've exited the bath."

I couldn't help but release a small burst of laughter at his uncanny ability to keep his cool. I shook my head and smiled at him in hopelessness.

"Yeah, I think I'll remember that next time."

His proceeding laugh was enough to make my heart melt. I felt all the awkwardness of the situation start to dissolve as he continued smiling at me, making me feel so comfortable in his presence that I almost forgot that all I was wearing was a drenched bath towel.

"Wait here," he said turning away, "I'll go get you another one that's a little less saturated."

"Wait!" I burst out, grabbing his arm with my one hand while the other held tight to the only thing shielding my state of undress. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes," he said calmly, "But it'd probably be better if you were a bit more clothed while we talked, wouldn't you agree?"

I shrank back and blushed, laughing hesitantly as I thought about how that would probably be a wise choice.

"Heh, I guess you're probably right. But I can just head back to my room and dry off with another towel. It's not like this is my only one. Just wait outside while I change, alright."

He shrugged

"No problem."

I felt slightly embarrassed to be wearing only my undergarments with Megaman standing just outside of my room. I had remembered to lock the door this time so I wasn't feeling too nervous that he'd "accidentally" burst in on me. Still, I didn't waste any time as I quickly slipped into a loose fitting, red t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts – not exactly formal, but comfy at least.

"Ok, I'm modest." I called out. "You can come in if you like."

He opened the door and shifted idly into my room. His appearance immediately caught me off guard as I noticed he was no longer clad in his formidably fearsome armor, but a simple white collared shirt and a pair of his casual blue jeans, clothing he would normally wear whenever we weren't currently on a dig.

"W-when did you…"

"While you were changing," He cut in, "I thought that I should probably do the same. You know, just so we could both be a little more comfortable."

"Yeah but… how did you…I mean how could you… so fast. I couldn't have been in here for more than five minutes."

He smiled at me as I stared at him with wide eyes.

"You'd be surprised just how fast I can put on and take off my armor." He said with a flicker in his eye and a cunning grin flashing across his face.

"I'll say." I replied with a small burst of astounded laughter.

He laughed along with me, both of us enjoying the lighthearted mood in the room that had been vacant of it for far too long. I just hoped it would last.

"Well then…" I began, jumping backward onto my bed and pulling my legs up into my casual girly pose. "You said you wanted to tell me something?"

"That's correct."

"Alright, let's have it then."

I scooted over to one side of the bed, patting the empty space next to me with my hand in a welcoming gesture. He gracefully walked over to where I had invited him to sit down and with no hesitation in his movements, seated himself only inches away from me. He looked over and smiled at me, stunning me with his captivating gaze. He leaned backward on the mattress, bracing himself with his hands gently and relaxed as he drew in a calm breath of air and shrugged.

"Well, here goes nothing" he said, looking up at the ceiling with a silent laugh exhaling from his nose.

"Roll…I wanted to talk about what you said to me earlier, when we were on the Eclipse. Do you remember what it was you said?"

_Oh yeah_, I thought to myself, shrinking slightly at the memory. I had actually said that hadn't I, how I truly felt about him? It seemed so perfectly logical when I had told him, not to mention incredibly natural in the way it simply flowed out of me with no wavering emotion or regret. But now I was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious about the whole thing. I had no idea what his reaction to my confession would be, and I never really found out thanks to Tron's little interruption. Now it was all blowing up in my face. I had absolutely nothing to say to somehow distract him from this off-guard topic and I wasn't totally sure I was ready to hear what it was he had to say.

"Yeah," I said timidly, "I remember."

I tried to keep my eyes from his, focusing them on my non-judgmental toes as I waited to hear the verdict.

"I just wanted to know…what exactly did you mean by it?"

"I-I meant exactly what I said." I answered honestly. "That's just the way I feel about you Megaman. I can't hide that, and…and I just wanted you to know is all."

Silence filled the room. There was nothing more for me to say to him. All I could do was wait for his response.  
"You…you really feel that way?" he spoke softly.

There was such tenderness in his purely innocent words. The unrestrained emotion pouring from his soul caused my chest to fill with an indescribably feeling of love and care for him.

"Even after what I did. Even after what you saw…you still feel those same feeling for me?"

I slowly nodded.

"And nothing will ever change that." I whispered.

I finally decided to look up at him. I was no longer afraid that I'd see feelings of uncertainty or even contentment to the things I was telling him. His calm and gentle voice testified to that. My face turned upward towards his, which he did in turn. As our eyes met, connected more closely than they had ever been before, I felt my body being lifted up into a paradisiacal utopia, flooded with an overpowering feeling of…

Could I even describe it? The incredible force of this sensation overshadowed any and every emotion of sadness, joy, frustration, or fear that had ever manifested itself within me. Our eyes continued melding together, glowing intensely with the truest meaning of utmost peace and harmony. Gently, he placed his hand on mine and smoothly moved his other towards the side of my face. I felt a burning sensation against my skin as he slowly took my cheek in his palm.

With my one free hand, I instantly grasped the hand cupping my face and held it tightly, not for a moment letting my gaze escape his sparkling eyes.

"You're telling the truth," he said, squeezing my hand tighter. "I can tell by your pulse; it's very calm."

So that's why he was holding my hand so tightly, I thought disenchanted. Oh well. It was good enough for now.

"So then," he abruptly asked, letting his hand gently slide away from my cheek, a motion that made my heart ache. "When exactly did this happen?"

I looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when did you begin to feel this way about me?"

"Does that matter?"

"Probably not" he shrugged. "But I'd like to know if that's alright with you."

My lips pressed together as I thought of how I would answer him. It was difficult to just pinpoint the exact moment of when it all clicked together. It would have been nicer if he simply told me what his true feelings for me were. In fact…

"Before I do, you have to tell me something." I challenged.

"Oh? And what would that be?"  
My face suddenly flushed as I thought of the question I was about to ask him. It wouldn't be easy, that was for sure, but I had to know, once and for all. I gulped. It was now or never.

"I need you to tell me-" I eeked out, barely audible over the trembling cracks in my voice. "I need you to tell me, honestly, how you really feel about me."

His eyes lowered, breaking the supernatural spell he had enchanted me with. My heart sank into a black abyss as I heard a small sigh escape his lungs; unsure of whether it was of regret or some other unknown expression he was hiding from me. Without looking back at me, he slowly answered.

"Roll…I…I feel…"

Suddenly, a boisterous commotion burst through Flutter's intercom, snatching away the perfect opportunity I'd been given.

"Roll! Megaman! Are you there?! Come in!" Gramps voice cried out in panic.

"What's going on?!" Megaman said, focusing his attention directly to the outburst.

"Quick, the news!" Gramps replied, not wasting a second on pleasantries, "Turn it on now! It's Kattolox. It's under assault!"

**12. Uprising**

My eyes flickered open groggily as the blaring alarm clock at the side of my bed repeatedly screamed "7:00!" into my ears. I groaned at the awful sound, stifling the strong urge to simply whip my hand out at the irritating device and fling it across the room – just punishment for disturbing my unfulfilled sleep. Unfortunately, as satisfying as that completely irrational act would have been, I instead forced myself to simply tap the snooze button.

I stretched out across the plain of my bed, yawning deeply as several loosening pops resonated throughout the stiff joints in my body. I then toppled back onto my side and tried not to think about the fact that sooner or later I'd eventually have to get up.

"Thursday…" I moaned stoically, lengthening my mouth into a long grimace. As with every Tuesday and Saturday, Thursday was one of the days in which I would drag myself to the hospital for my routine rehabilitation session. Not really the most exciting thing in the world, but important, nonetheless, if I wanted my legs to get stronger.

"Ira." My mother's voice echoed up the stairway. "Are you up?"

"I'm awake if that's what you mean." I called back.

"Well hurry up and get dressed. You don't want to keep Nurse McKay waiting again do you?"

Submissively, I rolled out of bed and made my way to the dresser, a dresser so conveniently placed at the farthest place possible from my bed. Opening the certain drawer that held the typical ensemble I would adorn for physical therapy, I quickly changed into my pink sweatpants and matching sweatshirt. No reason to dress fancy for this occasion.

I had been doing this for over a year now, ever since the hospital finally received the medical equipment needed to repair my legs, equipment that was somehow paid for by that mysterious boy in the blue armor. I often wondered where he had gone to, what he was doing. Neither me, nor anyone on the island had heard word of him since he had left. I barely even knew who he really was, nothing personal at least, other than what I'd heard on the news during the time he spent here.

He was supposedly just a digger who had simply crash-landed on the island. I remember the news channel dubbing him as "Megaman", a name, I assumed, that was given to him by the zealous citizens as an appropriate way to glamorize him for his tremendous deeds. I knew, of course, that it couldn't possibly be his real name since no one could ever have such a ridiculous name as that. Though, regardless to whatever his name was, he was my hero. Not just my hero, but also an idol to the entire island.

Not surprising, in the least, as single-handedly defending an entire city from a ruthless group of pirates, donating huge amounts of money to repair damaged buildings and structures, and even escorting an expecting mother to the hospital is most likely to gain you at least a small bit of praise.

"I wonder what he's up to now?" I silently whispered, with a small smile traced across my mouth.

Fully dressed, I took my leave from my room and headed for the kitchen. The smell of eggs and bacon sizzling on the stove swirled around me as I descended the stairs, snapping my mind into focus as I took in a heavy draft of the sweet aroma. I could always count on mom to know exactly what I needed to get a good jumpstart on the day.

I slipped into the kitchen and hopped onto a stool next to the counter. With perfect timing, as always, she slid the already prepared plate of steamy deliciousness and a full glass of orange juice toward me. My mouth watered as the savory scent of the food danced and twirled inside my head. I smiled warmly up at my mother, whose only answer was an expression on her face that said, "It's my pleasure."

"So…" she said, with a bright smile shining on her face. "Sleep good?"

"More or less." I replied, taking a sip of the orange juice. "My legs still cramp up a bit during the night but it's really not that bad, at least not as bad as it used to be."

"Well, just give it time. I'm sure it'll go away eventually if you just keep working hard, right?"

I nodded complacently, scooping a fork-full of eggs into my mouth and thinking to myself just how much more work that would be. Nurse McKay told me that I'd been making great progress since I first started my physical therapy over a year ago. I remember when first starting out, it was a challenge to simply stand on my own two feet, and even then, I could only do it for moments at a time. It was a slow and incredibly frustrating process to learn even the most basic skills of walking, ascending stairs, or even bending over. I was certain that if it weren't for Nurse McKay's constant pushing and un-ending support, I would never have made it this far.

Now, I was able to walk extended distances with relative ease, bound up and down stairs without draining all of my energy in the process, and most exciting was the fact that I could even run… if for only a short period of time that is. But still, it was supposed to be a big step and I was eager to go even farther until the day when my legs would be, at last, fully restored. Then…I would be able to do what I've always dreamed of. Explore the world. Be an adventurer just like him. But until then, I would just have to bide my time and continue on with my sessions.

I quickly scraped up the last bits of food on my plate and gulped down the rest of my orange juice. I then snatched up my empty dishes and carried them over to the sink to wash them off.

"My, aren't we in a hurry!" my mother laughed. "You're session doesn't begin for another hour. Why the rush?"

"I just thought I'd walk over today." I said while washing off my plate. "It's such a beautiful day, and besides, Nurse McKay did say that I should start walking to the hospital more often to warm-up my legs. Would that be alright?"

"Well of course, if Nurse McKay said so then by all means."

"Thanks mom!" I smiled, reaching for the wash towel at the side of the sink.

I thoroughly dried my glass and plate and walked over to the cabinet to put them away. It was so great to be able to do this on my own, as simple as such a task may have been. Before, I would have to watch my mom do it all for me and I would always feel so useless. It was nice to be able to help her out in some ways now. I flickered a smile of appreciation to her as I opened up the cabinet.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and heave violently, thrashing the kitchen viciously. I screamed as dishes from the cabinet drawer toppled over and shattered on the ground around my feet.

"IRA!" my mother shouted.

But there was nothing she could do. The quaking of the room was far too intense to allow free movement. My hands abandoned the dishes, letting them crash to the floor as I quickly gripped the side of the counter to brace myself. I tried to cling to the counter, clung as tightly as my body would allow. But I knew that couldn't hold on for much longer. It was just too much for my weakened state to handle. I was going to fall, and there was nowhere but a floor covered in broken glass to land.

Miraculously, the shaking finally stopped, rescuing me in the knick of time before my arms gave out. I breathed deeply, overtaken by the shock of what had just happened. Before I could even react to the situation, my mother reached out and lifted me away from the glass-covered floor. She hugged me like there was no tomorrow, which I responded to with a muffled "Oomph!" She then held me out to check if I had been injured.

"Are you alright honey!? You're not hurt are you!?"

I took a gasp of air and shook my head, unable to give a verbal response since all the oxygen in my lungs had just been hugged out of me.

"Oh thank goodness!"

She hugged me again, less intensely as before, thankfully, and then scanned the room, apparently to see what damage had been done.

"Looks like there was no harm, except for a couple of dishes."

She sighed in relief.

"I can't believe this. I don't remember having an earthquake like that since…well more than a year ago I think it was."

"It certainly was unexpected." I said, letting my eyes gaze back at the pile of broken glass I was nearly hurled onto. I shivered at the thought of what could have happened had I lost my grip, and suddenly I felt the need to be somewhere a bit less confined.

"So… if it's over," I said shrugging my shoulders, "and there's nothing to worry about now, I'd really like to get going, if that's okay."

My mother looked at me skeptically.

"Are you really sure that's a good idea?" she said anxiously. "We don't know whether or not it might happen again."  
"Well, I don't know about you, but if it does happen again, I would prefer to be outside, you know, away from all the sharp, pointy things."

She curled her lips in hesitation for a moment, then, with slight uncertainty, she nodded.

"O-okay, if that's what you want. Just… be careful, alright?"

"I will, promise."

I kissed her on the cheek and turned around to make my way out the front door. I figured there would be no real danger outside, I mean, if the damage inside was so insignificant.

I opened the door and walked out into the flooding sunlight of the brisk, spring morning. My lips stretched into a wide, blissful grin as I took a deep breath of the fresh air, closing my eyes as the rays washed over me, trickling down my face like the waters of a gentle stream. I opened my eyes and took in all of the stunning beauty around me. Everything looked so positively green and cheery under the bright sun. A gentle, lukewarm breeze licked at the tip of my fingers, perking up the mood of the already invigorating scene, and songbirds could be heard performing their chirpy melodies more vigorously than my ears had ever perceived before.

This was, to put it simply, an absolutely perfect day. With the energizing ambiance of this perfect day providing me with a positive leap in my step, I skipped off the front porch and, with a smile on my face, began my trek to the medical center at the East Gate. I chuckled to myself as I thought of the irony of the situation. Good moods weren't normally associated with trips to the hospital.

As I walked, I looked around the town, realizing just how much it had grown since that Megaman had left. I remembered how small it used to be, barely able to support things as simple as a library or burger shack. Now, thanks to Mayor Amelia, the town, or "city" as it was more appropriate called now, had grown exponentially. It was funny to think that the pirates who attacked Kattolox were actually partly responsible for the rapid growth of the city.

After the final pirate attack had left the Old City in ruins, Mayor Amelia made the choice to rebuild that portion of town into a once again hustling, bustling part of Kattolox. It helped immensely in the fact that the pirates were so kind as to help tear down all of the space consuming buildings that would have otherwise cost a fortune to remove. And thanks to the ridiculous amount of revenue Kattolox had made, after the extraordinary rare and priceless donations made to the East-Gate Museum sent tourism through the roof, the city was able to expand even further after the re-construction of the West-Gate.

I was thankful, however, that the East-Gate had not changed. I had spent most of my life their, living in the hospital as my legs continually received medical treatment. It was strange, but somehow, I simply felt at home whenever I was there. Peaceful.

I shook my head and smiled as I thought of how absurd that must have sounded. But still, it was nice to go somewhere that would always be familiar.

As I crossed the street next the library, I suddenly paused as my eyes caught glance of a strange site. There was a group of people gathering around a certain area at the end of the street.

"What's going on over there?" I whispered to myself.

As usual, I let my curiosity get the best of me, and I found myself walking toward the site to find out for myself. I heard an entanglement of voices laced with confusion fill my ears as I drew closer. I looked around and saw that other citizens of the town were also making their way to the site.

"How did this happen?" I heard someone say.

"I don't think that earthquake just know could'a done this. Had to be sumthin' else"

"What were they all talking about?" I wondered, shuffling closer to the crowd as I tried to get a peek at what they were all staring at. I was finally able to maneuver myself into a position were I could get a clear look at the area of interest without actually merging with the growing mass of spectators.

"Oh yeah." I whispered to myself in recollection. It was that big, black cube; the doorway that was called the Sub-Gate, identical to the two others that had risen from the ground over a year ago during the last…

_During…the last…earthquake._

It was happening again, just like before. Something strange was going on. The Sub-Gates…I remembered after Megaman had left, almost immediately after in fact, impenetrable steel doors suddenly sealed off the entranceways to whatever ruins lied beneath the black obelisks. But now the doors were gone, and the Sub-gate was, once again, open.

The police had already arrived at the scene and were busy erecting crowd barriers to keep the bustling accumulation of citizens from getting too close to the gateway.

"What's goin' on down there!" I heard people from the group shout.

"Does the Mayor know bout this? Should we be concerned?"

The commotion continued on and the crowd seemed to be getting restless.

"Please, people!" Inspector Hubbard, police chief of Kattolox, hollered, waving his hands at the impatient build-up and gesturing them all to back-up.

"Let's have some room here! There's nothing to be worried about! No need for panic!"

"No need for panic?" I whispered softly to myself. "Why would there be no need for panic?"

A strange sensation suddenly came over me. There was something not right about all of this. Something was wrong. Deep within my heart, I knew that something was terribly wrong. The commotion of the crowd seemed to dampen as a horrible feeling suddenly overwhelmed me, compressing my body near to the point of collapse.

Something bad…something very bad was about to happen. I couldn't describe it, didn't understand why or how this feeling manifested itself so strongly, but…I knew.

My lips began to tremble and my breath quivered as I slowly started to back up. I had to move. I had to get away from here before…before…

But I couldn't move fast enough. I could barely move at all. The magnitude of the horrible sensation was weighing me down, clasping my feet with some kind of emotional ball and chain. But now it seemed to be of little consequence whether I could move or not, as it now already seemed to be too late.

The mass of people continued their pandering, completely oblivious to the situation until, like thunder, an enormous, bellowing sound reverberated out of the Sub-Gate, causing the crowd to immediately fall silent. I froze in place, paralyzed by the deep, blaring resonance until, at last, it was abruptly cut off by the dull sound of a large, metallic "THUD!"

Then, to everyone's complete shock, the Sub-Gate entrance began to grow bigger, longer. I couldn't describe, exactly, the process of what had happened, but somehow the gate had transformed itself from an elevator shaft…to something else, like a structural tunnel or something, sloping down into the black abyss of whatever lurked inside.

The entrance gate had also expanded to the size where one could easily drive a truck straight through. The enveloping darkness within the tunnel was so thick that I could only see a few inches of revealing light enter the shaft.

Everyone stared motionless. Dead silence hung in the air like a noxious fume, squelching my oxygen as I tried vainly to breath. I looked over at the five police officers standing at bay in front of this new form of the dark gate. The sound and sudden transformation had caused them all to back up a step or two and they had all un-holstered their firearms, aiming squarely into the blackness of the descending tunnel.

Inspector Hubbard looked over at the officer standing to his left and gave him a gesturing nod toward the entrance.

"Check it out Collins" he said anxiously; "We'll cover you from the rear."

The officer nodded in turn and slowly began to advance.

"No…" I whispered, "Don't go in there…don't get close."

The other officers kept their weapons raised, maneuvering themselves into positions where they could get a clear shot as the at-point officer drew closer to the entrance. My heart skipped a beat at every footstep he took. My breathing became stiff and broken, almost as if I were standing in the middle of a sub-zero snowstorm.

The officer finally stopped, standing directly in front of the entrance and looking down into the pitch-black tunnel with his pistol squarely raised. I could see from the way his chest convulsed that his breathing had become irregular.

Slowly, he removed his left hand from underneath his gun and reached for the small flashlight attached to his belt. Unclipping it from its holster, he gripped the device tightly within his hand and hesitantly he raised it upward, pointing it directly at the lightless passageway.

His finger hovered above the switch tentatively, cautiously, almost as if undecided to whether or not he actually wanted to cast a beam of light into the dark unknown. My breathing ceased and choked in my lungs as the prolonged suspense took hold of me. The distant crowd stood completely frozen as they watched, like a small bird looking into the eyes of a snake.

The officer licked his upper lip and breathed deep. He stood up, straight as possible with what was left of his composure. The scene grew still, the pressure mounted, and then, with a flick of his finger, the flashlight switched on.

Several seconds passed. Nothing happened, nothing at all. No cry of panic or sudden outburst. Nothing. Several more seconds passed. Finally, the officer switched off the light and turned around. He shrugged.

"Nothing?" I thought to myself curiously. "Not a thing?"

I raised my brow in puzzlement.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why did all of this happen then?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head and gritting my teeth as the feeling of dread strangely, but consistently continued to churn within me. Was I just playing tricks on myself? Making myself worry needlessly. Why couldn't I just be relieved that nothing happened? Why couldn't I…

"SHWUUUNK!" a suddenly gruesome sound splintered the air.

The entire crowd gasped in fright and my eyes flew open to see what had happened. As my gaze caught the scene I felt the blood wash from my face and my eyes grow wide with horror.

The facial features of the officer standing with his back to the entrance had grown pale, accenting the small specks of red that now dotted his face. His arms and legs quivered. His lips were trembling. Slowly, he looked down at his chest and saw the three cavernous holes that were now flowing blood from the torn seams of the wounds' outer edges.

Several screams shrieked from the audience of spectators – sounding dull and hollow in my ears – as I sustained my terrified view, unable to tear my eyes away from the grisly display, and then saw as three metal claws materialized from within the holes – right out of thin air, protruding through the officer's upper body. The mechanized arm attached to the claws projected out of the dark tunnel, followed by the massive metal body of a dauntingly imposing red reaverbot.

Complete pandemonium broke out as the brute creature flicked out its arm and sent the officer's limp, lifeless body crumpling to the ground. While the mass of people dispersed in all directions, Inspector Hubbard and the other officers stood their ground and fired on the metal beast.

"Open fire! Open fire!" the Inspector screamed, but the small arms fire did nothing more than simply deflect of the monstrosity's impenetrable frame. All the while I simply stood there, shaking uncontrollably, utterly lost and frozen in my paralyzed fear, and watched as the reaverbot effortlessly leaped through the air toward the group of policemen.

They immediately turned their backs and ran, trying desperately to get out of the way of its attack. Most of them got far enough to escape the assault. All that is, except for the two who were directly in its way, who were both impaled through the back and into the ground.

At last, as these macabre images seared themselves into my eyes, my mind finally clicked. I had to get away, had to run as fast as I could. The fear could no longer hold me down. My determination to move, to survive was far stronger than any fear that would try and stop me.

With all of my will and spirit, I broke the shackles that held fast to my legs and ran from the gate as fast as my legs could carry me. I only hoped that that monster hadn't noticed me. I was sure that if it wanted me dead it would have no trouble at all fulfilling that desire. I just had to keep running. That was my only hope right now. I had to somehow get home. I had to warn my mother of what was happening.

I didn't get too far before I heard explosions and gunfire rock the ground. I turned my head foolishly to see what had happened. What I saw was pure destruction. Dozens of enormous reaverbots, some with four legs and tank-like bodies, and even more of the fearsome clawed figures were pouring out of the Sub-Gate and unleashing havoc on the defenseless city, picking off helplessly scattered citizens, and demolishing nearby structures.

Many people were now running past me as they tried to escape the barrage of attacks. I tried to push myself harder to keep up with them, but my weakened legs, unable to endure such strain, were quickly drained of their energy and I was knocked to the ground by the panicking stampede.

I lied feebly on the ground, covering my head and curling into a ball in an attempt to keep the feet from crushing my soft spots. I felt random kicks and smashes crush into my body, sending torrents of bruising pain rocketing through me. No one cared to look down at me, only saw me as an obstacle in the way as they battered into me like a tidal wave of flesh and bone.

Just when I thought that I could take no more of this beating was when I heard the hissing cracks of gunfire whizzing past me, right above my ears.

The sounds of gut-wrenching screams surging with anguish and agony pierced my ears as I watched men and women, some children even…people I knew personally, topple over in crumpled masses only mere inches from where I lay.

I wanted to scream, scream at the top of my lungs until they burst open, exploded within my traumatized body, yet no air escaped from my lips. There were only tears, endless tears gushing from my eyes as I wept uncontrollably.

"Why…why is this happening!!" I sobbed, alone on the ground as the explosions and screams echoed evocatively in my ears.

I looked over at the completely impassive reavorbot who had so mercilessly mowed down and killed so many of my close friends. It now seemed disinterested in the torn, ragged mass of bodies it had just fashioned and turned carelessly away from us as it become more concerned with decimating a nearby building.

My eyes had become blurry with all of the moisture that was continually pooling into them. I lifted up my hand to wipe away the stream of tears, only to discover in a horrified grimace that… it was not only tears… that were splashed across my face.

My hand began to tremble as I gazed at the crimson blotches smeared all over my palm. It was blood…blood…everywhere… all around me…all over me. But…I hadn't been cut anywhere… it was not my blood, not a drop of it. No… it was so much worse than that. It…it was "their" blood, blood from the hole-ridden bodies of my friends and neighbors.

I felt my whole frame collapse in around me. I couldn't go on any longer. I was going to die. I was going to die…die, just like everyone else was dying. It didn't seem a terrible concept anymore, not after all of this, not after what I'd seen.

My arms wrapped around my chest, almost as if I were trying to hold my body together as it ripped and tore at the seams, collapsing to the ground.

It was hopeless. Why try and run? All I could do now was wait for my turn, and drown in my unclenching sobs until it finally happened. I laid sniffling on the ground, my whole body shaking from the quaking tears and splitting sobs so heavy that it felt as if my chest were being torn open.

I continued lying there helplessly and hopelessly for what felt like hours, lied…just like the lifeless bodies strewn around me as the sounds of gunfire and explosions filled the city. It could be heard from everywhere now, spreading across all parts of town, cries of panic, pain, and death. I thought it would have happened to me by now, but as time continued to pass, I failed to be consumed and carried away by death's sweet embrace.

"Why not," I wondered. Why was I still alive? Why did I have to remain here? Why couldn't I just die like everyone else?

"Unless…" the thought suddenly occurred to me, "Unless… I'm already dead.

Was that it? Had I simply not noticed? And if so, did that mean that this…was hell? It certainly was fitting. I only wondered what evil it was I had done to deserve this.

But then, all of the sudden, I felt my body being lifted off the ground. My surprise was overwhelming as I felt myself being flung over and onto someone's back. The person who held me tight then took off with unrelenting speed.

"Ira!! Are you alright!!" the familiar voice cried out.

I knew who this was. It was Mr. Bronte, the grocer who worked at the vegetable stand in the Apple Market. My mother and I were close friends with his family, which made me feel incredibly relieved to see him alive. But…where was the rest of his family…

"I…I'm...uh…"

It was hopeless. I was choking on my own tears and my voice was too full of weeping sobs to give him a clear reply.

"Don't worry! I'll get you somewhere that I think will be safe!"

"S-safe?" I was able to blubber out coherently enough for him to understand. "W-where?"

"The North Gate, up at City Hall! If these things are coming out of the Sub-Gates then it has to be the only place that hasn't been attacked yet!"

My mind then suddenly snapped into focus.

"No! Wait!" I cried. "My mother! We have to go back for my mother!"

"There's no time!" He shouted. "We have to get to City Hall before this place is completely overrun!"

I stared at him blankly, not believing what I was hearing.

"NO!" I screamed. "Please, you have to stop! I can't leave her there! Let me go!"

I screamed at him, struggled and fought against him as I tried to get him to put me down, but was completely powerless in his iron grip.

"Please!" I sobbed, "Please…just let me go!"

"I can't do that Ira!" he cried with the same wrenching agony wringing his voice. "I…I couldn't save them…I can't save her. If you're the only one left I can help, then I'll give my life to keep you safe!"

He continued his furious sprint, somehow remaining unspotted. I could feel my body go cold as we rushed past all of the carnage and destruction. So many people…there were so many people on the ground. People with names I knew, faces I recognized…many with cold, motionless eyes staring back at me, looking into my soul, and cursing me for still being alive. I sealed my eyes shut as I felt my whole life being viciously torn out of me. There was nothing left, nothing except for the aching numbness, cold and lifeless...

I felt the running finally stop, assuming that we had made it to the North-Gate unharmed. Mr. Bronte hastily swiped his I.D. card through the magnetic strip and the door slid open. I opened my eyes and turned my head to glance at the city one last time as Mr. Bronte rushed through the gate. It was burning, crumbling to dust in the devastating flames of destruction…just like my spirit.

"I'm so sorry mom!" I wept bitterly, and disappeared into the void of life.

**13. Innocence**

Everyone inside the Flutter's living room stood motionlessly petrified. No one made a sound, only listened as the television blared the penetrating blast of the news report. For a brief a moment, I broke away from the hollow sounds and ghastly images the T.V. screen twisted into my mind and scanned the room, viewing the horrified expressions painted upon its occupants.

Tron stood at the opposite side of the room. Her eyes were fixed on the set in an unbreakable trance and her arms were folded tightly across her chest, one arm extending upward, placing a fist over her mouth in a vain attempt to mask the quivering of her lips. Her composure, however, was devastatingly more controlled than Roll's, who sat completely withdrawn on the edge of the sofa. Her legs were shaking and her eyes were wide with shock, cascading faint tear trails flowing down her hand-cupped face.

I turned away from these gut-wrenching visages and forced myself to look back at the T.V. screen and continued watching the even more gut-wrenching news report.

"The current number of casualties is still unknown at this point" the female news anchor tried to formally address, but was unable to hide the distress in her voice. "The inner city seems to have received the most significant damage in this unprecedented attack on Kattolox. I'm told were receiving new live video footage from our aerial news ship now. We now go live to our sky reporter, Marina Barnes, for the latest."

The screen switched from the news anchor to an image of a young female reporter standing next to an open sided air ship. She held a mic in one hand and a safety rope above her with the other. Beneath her, the view of the crumbling city of Kattolox, drenched in flame and smoke, made my blood stir in pure malice. The reporter began to speak with relentless hastiness and panic in her voice.

"What you're seeing now are no phony images! The city of Kattolox is under heavy siege with the attackers being confirmed as surfaced reavorbots! "We've already lost one of our news ships to some kind of anti-air and have been forced to pull back to a higher altitude, but you can still get a clear image of the city! As you can see, the inner city has almost been completely destroyed, with the east and west districts still under heavy fire! Military dispatch teams from nearby islands have already been deployed and have joined with what's left of Kattolox police in trying to suppress reavorbot advances on what appears to be the only unscathed portion of the island's north city! We are also being told that evacuation teams are also trying to get trapped citizens out of the east and west districts. But we're not sure they'll be able to hold out much longer if the reavorbot density continues to grow at its current pace!

"We still have no idea how this all happened, and have obviously never seen anything like this before! The destruction is unfathomable, the death toll catastrophic! It's only a matter of time before the entire island is completely overr-"

The T.V. screen flicked off, the remote clenched firmly in my hand. Everyone turned and looked at me. I kept my eyes focused on the empty screen of the television, keeping my head from turning and meeting any of their gazes. It was only for a moment in the dead silence of the room that I turned and made my way to the door.

"Where're you going?" Roll asked.

I stopped, letting her words sink in as I held my grip on the door handle.

_Did she really have to ask_, I thought to myself.

"I'm going to get my armor." I said impassively, "and after that…I'm going to Kattolox…to stop all of this."

My hand twisted the knob and pushed open the door, unrestrained vigor tracing my steps as I walked briskly into the hallway.

"Are you nuts!" I heard Tiesal shout. "Did you not see the news report!? Didn't you see the island!? It's up to its neck in reavorbots! They're wiping out everyone and everything! Do you seriously think you can actually do anything to stop them!?"

Once again my feet planted. I kept my head turned away as I gave my short, honest reply.

"…Yes…yes I do."

I chose not to listen to anything else they had to say. Empty words. They wouldn't change my decision. I quickly ascended the ladder to main floor and threw open the door into my room. There, floating in the corner was my suit of pure and total destruction. I walked over to it and let my hand brush its surface, causing the armor to fragment and materialize around my body – so much easier than it used to be. I then picked up my helmet. I held it in my hands, staring at it contemplatively as I thought of what it signified, what this armor as a whole, myself included, symbolized. The words Sera spoke to me streamed through my head, the words spoken to me in the Vault when I first laid eyes on this sacred creation.

"_The embodiment of hope, of sacrifice, and of our sheer determination to rise triumphant from the darkest of circumstances."_

This is what it all meant. This is who I was. I was a defender of light, an instrument that was capable of cutting through the shrouds of darkness and death, and a bringer of hope to those who had all but lost their own.

And this armor… was my blade. This was my destiny. My true mission, the entire reason I was created, and I would complete this final mission, no matter what the cost.

"So you're really going then huh?" I heard a soft voice emanate from the doorway.

I turned and saw Roll standing at the entrance, bracing herself against the doorframe. She wasn't looking at me.

"I have to Roll. What other choice do I have?"

"I know. I would be surprised if you chose not to. That's just who you are anyway, isn't it… It's…It's just…"

"What?" I asked, walking closer to her.

She breathed a deep sigh of concern and then lifted her head to look into my eyes.

"I want to help you; I need to. If there's anything I can do at all, I have to do it."

Her words caused a tidal wave of rebuttal to suddenly gush through my mind. I thought of Roll's presence on that island – That place of death, and contemplated hundreds of reasons why she should absolutely not go.

But her eyes pierced through me, unrelentingly. I knew I couldn't do anything to stop her, just like nothing would stop me. I had my extreme doubts about this whole idea, but I knew Roll was competent, and I had no right to decide for her.

"You really want to do this?" I asked, hoping that somehow I could change her mind. "You saw the report, you know what it's like over there right now."

"Yes. I know. But that doesn't matter. I have to go."

"Then you can count me in too!" I heard Tron suddenly burst out.


End file.
